Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon: The Sole Soul
by dukeashura
Summary: Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon had a short and easy epilogue, didn't it? Welcome to hard mode. Bubbles, a Froakie with a human soul, is stricken with grief after the supposed loss of his partner Lin. Worse yet, malignant forces are stirring, the dark history of the world of Pokemon seeks to unravel itself, and an old, old, old friend has come to visit... Don't give up...
1. Chapter 1

Bubbles tried to move; but the vines held him in place; wrapped tight around his spindly frog limbs. He couldn't even open his mouth to scream; all he could do was sit and watch as she was whisked far away. He saw the light pour out from her body; like a sun climbing over the horizon at dawn; and at the same time, he saw her fade away; like the life draining away from a wilting rose. Slowly, the light began to rise into the air; deep into the clutches of a gaseous black cloud; between physical and ethereal form; with thorns extending outward in all directions. Why? Why did the world have to be such a cruel and miserable place? And why did accepting that have to deprive him of the sole joy he was able to find here? Slowly, the life faded from Bubbles' eyes. And when it did; his eyelids fluttered open; awakening from the nightmare that had plagued him. In his mind however, it was no longer a nightmare; but simply a dream; after all, a nightmare must be terrifying.

This wasn't terrifying. It was pathetic. Bubbles looked around, trying to get his bearings after his restless night; he found himself within his personal quarters at the Expedition Society. Boxes were scattered throughout the room; keepsakes and treasures filled within them. It had been some time since Dark Matter's disappearance; since then, the Expedition Society had managed to map out 99.9% of the world of Pokemon; with the aid of a new invention at the hands of Jirachi; a satellite. With little left to do, the Society had decided to disband; the members going their separate ways; either to find their fortunes, or simply settle down. Bubbles had no idea what he was going to do; what could he do? Compared to Pokemon like Mawille, he was weak; compared to Jirachi, he was an unintelligent, and compared to Ampharos, he lacked charm. He was just a screw up.

Bubbles slowly lifted the box of his belongings; filled with knickknacks and trinkets that Lin had grown attached to; bars of gold, TM's; the works. He couldn't bear to sell them; but he knew that he couldn't carry them all back to Serene Village on his own. He didn't have any help either; he'd hadn't heard from Nuzleaf at all since Carracosta had passed on a message from them...

"Time can heal most things, even if some hurts seem insurmountable at first." he remembered Carracosta saying.

"What a load of rubbish..." Bubbles thought, moving out to the main hall with his big box of goods. The box was stacked so high that he couldn't even see over it; which resulted in him almost barreling into Mawille.

"Careful there Bubbles." said Mawille, pushing the box away from her. "You almost shoved me over."

"O-oh!" said Bubbles, completely unaware of what was ahead of him. "S-sorry about that..."

"You need a hand with that?" asked Mawille. "That looks like a bit too much to be carrying around all at once; especially for someone as short as you."

"No... no, I think I'll be fine, thank you... I have to sell off all this old junk anyway..." said Bubbles.

"...We're here for you, Bubbles." said Mawille. "It was shocking for all of us; I can assure you that."

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine." Said Bubbles, setting the boxes aside, and sitting down for a quick chat. "I'm not bawling myself asleep anymore."

"She meant more to you than anything, didn't she?" asked Mawille.

"...Yeah. Pathetic, isn't it?" mumbled Bubbles, before picking up his box and shambling out the front door. Mawille sighed, and turned to see Ampharos stumbling down the stairs.

"Good morning, Mawille." said Ampharos. "Was that Bubbles just now?"

"Yeah. We were just having a talk." replied Mawille. "He's doing the same as always; self-loathing, general emptiness... You think we should really let him go off on his own?"

"He's an adult Mawille; well, he was one anyway, as a human." replied Ampharos, looking out the front door. "I'm just as worried as you are; but we can't just force him to feel better."

"I suppose you're right..." mumbled Mawille. "...That doesn't mean we can't at least point him in the right direction..."

"That's a fair point..." said Ampharos. "I'll have a talk to him later; give him some advice going forward... and pray that he listens."

Bubbles wandered out the front door of the headquarters into a world covered in overcast skies and mildly dis-comfortingly cold winds. Summer was ending; and Autumn was hot on its heels; soon, the land would be covered in shades of warm auburn; and leaves would pile up on the ground like sand in a sandstorm. Bubbles slowly walked down the main road; trying his best to avoid the pedestrians and passerby's in his way. The carved stone road beneath him was cold to the touch; and a little damp. It must have been raining last night. Bubbles overheard chatter from around him; talk of current events being spread around.

"Did you hear? Apparently, a group of powerful legendary pokemon are coming together to hold a trial..." muttered a Lurantis standing nearby. Curious, Bubbles slowed down; and tried his best to look like he wasn't paying attention.

"Really? Who's on trial?" asked Lurantis' partner in conversation; a Furfrou.

"I'm not sure; one of those travellers in Kangaskhan's Cafe talked about it. Said that they overheard it from a wandering Legendary Pokemon." replied Lurantis.

"Wow... can you imagine that? Just a legendary or mythical pokemon, wandering into town? How cool would that be?" replied Furfrou. Bubbles snorted; he couldn't decide whether to laugh, or to growl. Lurantis overheard this; and turned her head slightly to see where the sound came from. Bubbles sighed, and decided to keep walking.

"Who was that weirdo?" asked Furfrou, tilting her head.

"...You haven't heard?" said Lurantis, watching Bubbles walk away. "He was the one that stopped Dark Matter; the one that saved the world..."

"He doesn't seem all that happy about it..." replied Furfrou.

"Yeah... guess he doesn't care for the fame."

Bubbles kept walking, not hearing the gossip of the other Pokémon behind him. He had more important things to worry about that the idle chit-chat of others; namely, how he was going to manage to peddle away 90% of his belongings. He figured that he could trade his gold for Poke at Glorious Gold, but there were other trinkets that he considered too valuable in the box as well. Powerful looplets, and TM's that may be useful later one. Bubbles arrived into the bustling main square of Lively Town; all sorts of Pokemon wandering around doing their shopping, or catching up with their friends. A public performance conducted by Kricketot echoed throughout the plaza; a smooth jazz song, with saxophones and guitars sounding in the background. Initially Bubbles was surprised to learn that instruments existed in the world of Pokemon; but he figured that there wasn't any reason why Pokemon couldn't make something like a trumpet or string instrument. However, in all his time there, Bubbles had never seen a piano; he figured that either they didn't exist; or they were just rare.

"Hey Bubbles, you want a hand?" the Froakie heard someone ask. Bubbles turned around to find the source of the sound; it was Buizel, another member of the Expedition Society.

"That box looks pretty big for you." said Buizel.

"Yeah... I think I'll be good. Just need to bring it down to stuff I can carry around in a sack." replied Bubbles. "Say, you want to take anything?"

"No thanks. I'm going to go stay with my folks for a while, and then maybe form a rescue team with Archen or something. Home's a fair distance away; and I don't have much room left in my own sack." replied Buizel.

"Ah. Fair enough." replied Bubbles, making his way towards Glorious Gold. Buizel walked beside him for a chat.

"So, you're going to go back to Serene Village huh?" asked Buizel, curious. "What's it like there?"

"Yeah, it's... dull, I guess. Me and Lin had our fair share of excitement... but well, I think that was a deviation from the norm." replied Bubbles.

"You have any idea of what you're going to do there?" asked Buizel.

"Not really, no. I might go into farming; grow some fresh produce and pawn it off." replied Bubbles. "At least I have a place to rest my head."

"Well, it sounds like you have it all worked out..." said Buizel. The two of them reached the counter to Glorious Gold.

"Fwohoho! Welcome to GLORIOUS GOLD, Bubbles!" giggled Cofagrigus, the owner of the store. He was a rather jovial fellow; and he had a strong love of all things with 24 karats. "How may I help you?"

"We just had a few golden bits here and there to peddle; looplets, bars, etcetera." said Bubbles, dumping the contents of the box on the counter. Cofagrigus' eyes widened in admiration for the pile of gold.

"Oh... I can give you good things for this..." muttered Cofagrigus.

"Poke will do fine." replied Bubbles. Then, Bubbles' eyes widened as well, when he spotted something that was rather distinctively not made of gold fall out of the bottom of the box; a green, striped scarf.

"Hey, isn't that that scarf that you used to wear all the time?" asked Buizel. "I wondered what happened to that."

"...Yeah, so did I..." muttered Bubbles, reaching forward and grabbing it. He had probably taken it off hoping it would help him get over everything, and forgotten about it altogether.

The scarf. Not his partner.

Bubbles threw the scarf over his shoulder; with the intent of disposing of the useless trinket later. Cofagrigus reached forward with his massive hands; and scooped up every last spec of gold from the counter, measuring its weight on the scale hidden behind it.

"Fwohoho! For all of this, I can give you... 2220 Poke!" exclaimed Cofagrigus. "Is it a deal?"

"Yeah, deal." said Bubbles, grabbing a bag of cash the ghost-type hurled over the counter. He slung that over his other shoulder; and began to make his way to the bank; when he was stopped in his tracks by none other than Ampharos; the chief of the Expedition Society.

"Morning chief." said Bubbles. "You want to talk about something?"

"It seems you've done well to clear your box of goods." said Ampharos, smiling before looking at the scarf over Bubbles' shoulder. "Well... but not quite perfect."

"...Yeah. I was going to probably set it down somewhere when I get home; to forget about." replied Bubbles. Buizel looked at him concerned. Ampharos sighed.

"Why do that? It's a perfectly fashionable scarf; and if you were to go exploring around the sea of wonders, it could come in handy." said Ampharos.

"Yeah, well, I don't plan to go exploring anytime soon..." said Bubbles.

"Really?" asked Ampharos. "That's disappointing; you had a real talent for that."

"Not as good as the other members of the society; heck, Buizel's a better swimmer than me." said Bubbles.

"Don't go selling yourself short now..." muttered Buizel.

"Indeed. Just because I'm not as good as an explorer as say, the revered Lucario, doesn't make me a bad explorer, per say." said Ampharos, before looking around, observing their surroundings. Taking note of something, he nodded, before talking again.

"Why don't we go somewhere else to talk for a bit? Somewhere quieter." said Ampharos. "Like the harbor."

"That sounds like a good idea." said Buizel. "Just... Let me lead the way."

Jirachi moved back and forth around his lab; tidying up all the paper's strewn about. He had talked to the landowner; Jirachi was allowed to keep working in his lab on the top floor, as long as he kept the place presentable. Jirachi wasn't a big fan of the new landlord; they were an uptight Liepard that planned to turn the place into a hotel; selling it as the home of the legendary Expedition Society. Jirachi scoffed at the idea of being turned into a tourist trap; but he needed a place to stay, and he couldn't just move his telescope.

"That should be everything..." Jirachi muttered to himself; before hearing the sound of beeping from across the room; his satellite must have detected something odd. He hovered over to investigate. A map of the world was projected onto his computer screen; it was an exact duplicate of the one stored on the nexus. On said map, Jirachi could see a blinking red light; typically, that meant that his satellite had detected a mysterious occurrence in said area. This generally lead to the creation of a new mystery dungeon.

The blinking red light was situated on latitude -12.5, longitude -11.25; on a small island-continent south of the water continent. A few mystery dungeons had cropped up there in the past; but the anomalies that Jirachi's machines were detecting were far off the scale. No mere intersection of the ley-lines could cause a jump in mysteriosity this big; no, this had to be the work of something incredibly powerful.

"What in the world...?" Jirachi mumbled, before racing downstairs to find someone to report too.

Bubbles gazed out over the horizon; seeing the waves slowly bob up and down; light refracting through the water's surface; and the ocean extending outwards to near infinity. The slow, white noise of the crashing waves relaxed his muscles and his senses; the hustle and bustle of the main square being reduced to barely legible whispers in the distance. He took a deep breath and sat back; on his off days, he used to come here to get away from his troubles; even if it was just for a little bit.

Ampharos sat down beside him; seemingly just as enchanted by the waves as Bubbles was. Buizel briefly examined the ocean; before diving in, and lying backward; floating on the surface of the water.

"I see why you would come here often..." said Ampharos, before closing his eyes and feeling the sea breeze brush against his face. "This is truly quite fascinating."

"Yeah. Really helps me wind down after a long day's work." said Bubbles. "But it's nothing compared to this one spot me and Lin had back home."

"The hill with the tree, isn't it?" said Ampharos. "Yes, I remember meeting you two there."

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" asked Buizel, curious as to why Ampharos wanted to move to a less densely populated area.

"Bubbles... you have a lot of memories involving the hill and tree, yes?" asked Ampharos.

"...Not all of them are good ones." muttered Bubbles, before taking a small sigh. "...but yeah, lots of memories with Lin."

"Now, I know that you're not typically one for shamanistic things like the spirit and soul; but things like that tree, and your scarves... they're important to both you and Lin." said Ampharos. "If there was a way to bring her back..."

"You think I haven't thought about anything like that?" said Bubbles. "I've been to Mawille's study; read every book, and put it back; there's nothing there."

"No matter how much I wish it were true, you just can't learn everything from a book." said Ampharos. "I believe that you and Lin are still bound together by those scarves."

"So what should I do then?" asked Bubbles, wit dripping from his tongue like a wet dog. "Ask the scarf nicely to bring her back?"

"Cool it, Bubbles." said Buizel. "That's no way to talk to the chief."

"You used to be just as sassy when you first joined, Buizel." said Ampharos. "...But to answer Bubbles' question; I've heard rumors of a Pokemon that can see into both the past and the future."

"The future...?" parroted Bubbles. "...well, at least I'd get some closure..."

"That's one way to look at it." said Ampharos. "He lives in a place called the Sand Dune of Spirits; on Alqaramal. Why don't you stop by for a bit of a chat?"

"Yeah... maybe I should go talk to them." said Bubbles, getting to his feet. "Thanks for the advice, chief."

"It's my pleasure." replied Ampharos, a warm, friendly smile plastered across his face. Bubbles had to give it to him; they really knew how to change a pokemon's mind. Bubbles stretched out; letting out a soft groan; before walking back towards the Headquarters to get his things in order; leaving Buizel and Ampharos behind.

"You think that he could really bring back Lin?" asked Buizel, getting out of the water. Ampharos closed his eyes; thinking rather deeply.

"When two spirits meet and go through hardships together..." Ampharos began, thinking back to a piece of advice he had received when he was young. "They are drawn together by the bonds they forge."

"They will surely meet again." finished Ampharos, before turning to follow Bubbles back.

As Bubbles approached the headquarters, he began to hear a heated argument coming from its interior. Figuring that Swirlix had just overextended on her gluttony again, he didn't bother to pick up the pace; arguments over portion size were something he couldn't care less about. However; as the building got closer, Bubbles began to realize that what he was hearing was no mere argument; there were elements of panic and uncertainty mixed into the primordially chaotic blend of sounds erupting from the HQ. Now a little worried, Bubbles began to dash for the HQ; arriving through the front door to a worried Mawille, a panicked Jirachi, and an angry Archen.

"Thanks to that stupid satellite of yours Jirachi, we've gone and thrown away 90% of our equipment;" shouted Archen. "And now that a real emergency has cropped up, we have no wands, no reviver seeds; nothing!"

"Archen, relax, please..." said Mawille. "I'm certain we'll be able to scrounge something together..."

"Is something wrong?" asked Bubbles, arriving on the scene. "What do we need supplies for?"

"My satellite picked up a spike in mysteriosity, y'know, like the kind that generally appears when a Mystery Dungeon generates." said Jirachi, sounding rather on edge. "I had a quick look, and the levels of mysteriosity were off the charts; and they've only gotten stronger."

"So?" said Bubbles, furling his brow. "It's probably just a big dungeon."

Jirachi's expression changed to one that was quite serious for the young boy.

"These levels of mysteriousity; they exceed that of Destiny Tower." said Jirachi.

"...Oh." said Bubbles. "That's pretty weird, yeah."

"Yet, based on preliminary scans, the dungeon isn't even that long; about 20 floors..." said Mawille. "So it's as if something else is exuding raw energy needed to raise the mysteriousity."

"We need to go and investigate it, but as I said earlier, we've already sold 90% of our tools." Grumbled Archen.

"...Yeah, and, well..." Bubbles mumbled. "I needed to get some supplies too."

"What for?" asked Mawille, confused. "I thought you said you were going to just go home and settle down."

"Ampharos told me about a Pokemon that can see the past and future." said Bubbles. "I figured I'd get some closure, but he lives in a Mystery Dungeon; the Sand Dune of Spirits."

"Ah, Xatu..." said Mawille. "Well, I suppose that's a good idea."

"I still think we need to get everyone we have on this..." said Jirachi.

"And I don't disagree; but we can afford to send Bubbles and another member out." said Mawille.

"Can we now?" said Ampharos, arriving on the scene. "As you said, the dungeon is only 20 floors... but there's also something rather powerful within it..."

Bubbles looked at Ampharos, and raised an eyebrow in questioning. Ampharos didn't see him do this; but Mawille certainly did. She chose not to point it out to him.

"As it stands, we may not have time to do one after the other." said Buizel, arriving just behind Ampharos. "If Bubbles is going to the Sand Dune of Spirits, I guess I'll go with him."

"Yes, you certainly won't have time." said another Pokemon arriving through the door; it was the landlord, Liepard. She strutted with a somewhat seductive saunter; as if she owned the very earth she stood on. Which she did.

"Miss Liepard..." said Archen, looking concerned. He already knew what she had come to talk about.

"I loaned you this land on the condition that once your society finished that map, you'd be gone in a week." said the feline Pokemon. Liepard was a powerful pokemon; not in physical or special strength, but in wealth. She owned the land, the local government; even the local Kangaskhan cafe was rumored to be the host of some of her underground dealings.

"And as it stands, you have around 3 days left before you're out that door." she continued.

"I understand that, ma'am, but..." said Ampharos, before being cut-off.

"No. Buts." said Liepard, raising an eyebrow.

Bubbles felt a chill run down his spine. Not only was Liepard capable of putting forward a good threat; she also had the resources to back it up; any Pokemon that looked at her funny was reduced to a crippled mess for a few days afterwards by her "enforcer". Nobody knew the identity of this enforcer, but they had to be strong; seeing as they managed to smash Krookodile to a broken pulp when he attempted to extort money out of the landlord.

"Now, I must be going; I have an important meeting in the afternoon." said Liepard turning her back on the members of the society and leaving. "Don't disappoint me."

Ampharos turned to face Bubbles; looking rather concerned.

"It seems you'll be going to the Sand Dune after all." said Ampharos. "Let's hope you can get through there in one attempt."

"Yeah, I've got my metaphorical fingers crossed." said Bubbles. He turned to face Buizel.

"You don't have to come if you don't want too..." said Bubbles. "It's really not your problem I'm dealing with."

"Hey, if it'll bring back Lin, then it's certainly my problem." said Buizel. "And even if we cant do that, I still want to help you out anyway. It's what we do here."

"Well, suit yourself." said Bubbles, turning to leave. "C'mon, we've got some shopping to do."

The two of them left out the front door of the HQ; leaving the others behind to work out the situation regarding the spike that Jirachi had detected.

"Give it your all out there, you two..." mumbled Ampahros, before turning to face Mawille and Jirachi.

"Now then; about this new dungeon that's cropped up..." he continued.

Bubbles walked to the counter of the Kecleon market, and threw his bag of cash from earlier on the counter.

"4 Reviver seeds, a quick seed, and 3 Big Apples." said Bubbles, listing off the supplies they needed.

"And 10 pounce wands, 4 slumber wands, and 2 petrify wands." continued Buizel, leaning over the counter.

"Right away then!" said Kecleon, leaning back and grabbing the stock the Pokemon had asked for. He placed it on the counter with the utmost of caution; yet, also faster than any of the other shopkeepers Bubbles had seen. When it came to selling and buying, Kecleon was the best at his job.

"Here you go!" said Kecleon, before snatching the bag of Poke off the counter and counting his profits. Bubbles shoved the supplies into his bag and began to move towards the harbor with Buizel.

"You sure we got enough to get through the dungeon?" asked Buizel, worried that they might not have bought enough.

"Yeah, it's not much; but it's all I can afford." said Bubbles, shrugging before nodding with determination. "We'll have to make due."

The two of them managed to make it to the harbor; where they found Lapras arriving back from deliviring a group of tourists to Cespedinente. The group slowly climbed off her back, a little dazzled. Lapras was not very fast in battle, but when going places, she could travel across the entire ocean in about a day. She noticed Buizel and Bubbles approach.

"Ah, Buizel. Are you going home already?" asked Lapras, a little confused as to why Buizel was coming to the travel liner.

"No, I'm actually helping Bubbles out with something." said Buizel, smiling. "Can you take us to Alqaramal?"

"Sure thing; just give me a minute to prepare." said Lapras. Buizel turned to talk to Bubbles.

"So, how're you feeling about this?" asked Buizel. "Think this Xatu guy will be able to help?"

"I'm not confident, to be honest; sure, I know there are a lot of strong Pokemon out there... but being able to see into the future seems..." Bubbles trailed off, unsure of how to finish his sentence. He decided to change the subject.

"I'm just not sure if I want to hear what he has to say." said Bubbles.

"I'd feel the same way if I was in your place right now..." said Buizel, before sighing. "Fingers crossed it doesn't hurt too much... and that we can make it too him in the first place."

Bubbles and Buizel looked up; hearing Lapras shout "All aboard to Alqaramal!"

"That's us; ready to go?" asked Buizel.

"Yeah, just gimme a sec..." said Bubbles, before wrapping his scarf around his neck once again.

"Now I'm ready." said Bubbles, before boarding the travel liner; and setting off on another crazy journey...


	2. Chapter 2

The radiant heat of the sun pounded down on the back of Bubbles' neck as the disembarked from Lapras; the thin layer of moisture he covered his skin with evaporating away like dry ice in the open. In Aquanentem, there were for seasons that cycled as the year went on; but in Alqaramal, there was one season; hot. Buizel didn't seem to be fairing much better; Bubbles could see him visibly panting as they climbed down from Lapras' shell. They took a brief moment to gather their thoughts and examine their surroundings before speaking.

"Let's go find some shade." they said in unison.

As the two water-types searched for a spot to rest, they took in the local scenery. The capital and sole major city of Alqaramal was Sahra Town; a settlement consisting of tents constructed atop rocks jutting up from a massive pile of constantly shifting sand. As the Alqaramal had remained relatively untouched by organized explorers until recently, the town attracted many explorers seeking riches that could await them in the various Mystery Dungeons that called the continent of sand home. However, just as those seeking fortune came, so did those seeking fame; when they arrived at Kangaskhan's Cafe, Bubbles took note of many a poster hanging about; displaying visages of outlaws that believed they could get away with dirty deeds done for dirt cheap. It saddened Bubbles to see this; that despite everything he and Lin had worked for, Pokemon still continued to turn on each other for their own benefit. Perhaps it was simply a fact of life, he thought; you can't pluck every weed from a garden...

Buizel, meanwhile, had other plans; silently taking note of some of the toughest looking bandits around town. He was always looking to prove his strength to others; and after being stomped by Entei previously, he was eager to prepare himself for another bout. The only way to do that was to get tougher; and maybe even evolve. However, one poster caught his attention far more than the others; for the face it displayed was unlike any he had ever seen. And yet, it wasn't a face sketched onto the poster; it was a mask; covering the suspects entire head. Buizel walked over to take a closer look at it.

=WANTED=

DEAD OR ALIVE

NULL

REWARD: 100000 Poke

CRIMES: ASSAULT, ARSON, ROBBERY, BURGLARY, TERRORISM

WARNING: NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. LEADS A LARGE GANG OF BANDITS. SUSPECTED TO BE ON LEGENDARY LEVELS OF POWER.

ESTIMATED LEVEL: 75

"Yeah, that's quite the portfolio." Bubbles snarked, noticing the poster that Buizel was observing. "You think they'd call people like us if they presented such a big problem..."

"I wouldn't bother that one, dear..." said Kangaskhan, who caught a glimpse of what Buizel was reading. She sounded rather down.

"They're a real piece of work; anyone that goes out into the desert to confront them doesn't come back." she continued, putting down a mug she was cleaning. "That gang of theirs owns 'bout half the continent now I reckon."

"It's still tempting though..." mumbled Buizel, before sitting down at the table with Bubbles. "Taking them down would do everyone around here a big favor."

"Tell me about it." said Kangaskhan, walking over to grab their order. "They regularly show up to loot what little food we can grow around here; and no matter how many get taken out by our explorers, that Null just manages to recruit more out in the Mystery Dungeons."

"Which Dungeons do you think he gets his followers from?" asked Bubbles, curious to know.

"That's hard to say..." Said Kangaskhan, pressing a finger to her lip. "I'd guess he'd get some strong ones from the Sand Dune of Spirits; it's one the edge of his territory, but there are some real tough Pokémon that live there; stuff like Aggron, Darmanitan, and Volcarona."

Bubbles looked towards Buizel, who shot a glance back at him. His eyes told him everything; they needed to be very careful going into that Mystery Dungeon; lest they come out as ransom hostages. Kangaskhan broke the tense mood.

"Now then, what can I get yah?" she asked, before crossing her arms. "Cause I don't got all morning to have a chat about the local warlord."

As the two of them sipped their drinks, re-hydrating after their brief moments in the desert heat, they discussed their plan for tackling the Sand Dune of Spirits.

"Our first major trial is going to be getting there; the vast desert is even hotter than the town." said Buizel. "We'd best make sure we have an ample supply of water; I always keep a canteen on me. You?"

"I had one ready for when I went back to Serene Village; it's generally quite the hike to get there." replied Bubbles.

"Great. Now, as for the Pokemon that live there..." said Buizel, as he pulled out his Expedition Gadget. Jirachi's satellite was capable of scanning Mystery Dungeon's on the surface to see what kinds of Pokemon resided within them; it was an invaluable tool for choosing just what moves to bring along.

"As Kangaskhan said, the dungeon is home to some pretty powerful pokemon..." said Buizel. "However, the clear majority of them are, thankfully, weak to water."

"Lucky us." said Bubbles, reducing the size of his frown in a way that could be interpreted as him showing a positive emotion.

"That being said, it doesn't mean we're home clear; we'll have to keep our PP in mind, as well as our hunger." continued Buizel. "So we'd do our best to have multiple moves that can hit things like Aggron, Houndoom and Lunatone well."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan; but what about the sun?" asked Bubbles. "Wouldn't that weaken our water moves?"

"That furthers my point; we'll need strong coverage moves to complement our water moves." affirmed Buizel. "So why don't we go see Hawlucha before we head out?"

Hawlucha's slam school was a relatively new establishment; being created by its namesake to teach Pokemon both moves they had forgotten, and entirely new moves that the student may not have even known they could learn. However, this second service was VERY expensive; prices for some strong moves could exceed 7'000 Poke! Finally, Hawlucha could also alter the ability of its student; if said student did have another ability available. This final service came at the cost of a Hawlucha Token; little metal trinkets that Hawlucha had scattered around the world on his travels; perhaps as a way of drawing in customers later on.

Bubbles and Buizel entered the cue for the Slam School; all the while sipping at their water canteens in an effort to drive back the heat. They felt the hard, dry sandstones beneath their feet emit warmth upwards; singing their soles like berries on a barbecue. They silently prayed that they didn't have to wait much longer; and also wordlessly begged the Pokemon ahead of them; a Mienshao, to make up their mind. After what felt like an eternity of uhms and ahs, the Fighting-Type ahead of them made their decision, and wandered away; pleased to have learned a new move. Thus, it was Bubbles' turn for tutoring.

"Well, if it isn't Bubbles!" shouted Hawlucha. He had no grasp of an indoor voice; so thank heavens that they were outdoors. "How's my little Hawlucha maniac doing?"

"I'm fine." said Bubbles, shrugging. "I've come to check up on my moves; my and Buizel are going to the Sand Dune of Spirits; so I want to be prepared."

"The Sand Dune of Spirits?" parroted Hawlucha, raising an eyebrow. "That's quite the dangerous place; what moves do you know now?"

"Well, in terms of experience, I'm about level... 30?" said Bubbles, trying to remember just how strong he was. "And in terms of moves, I still know Aerial Ace, Smack Down, Water Pulse... and Ice Beam, from a TM I got from Glorious Gold."

"They sell TM's at Glorious Gold?" said Hawlucha, surprised. "Interesting... I may have to expand my horizon's then..."

"What did you have in mind?" asked Buizel, poking his head in, curious to know Bubbles' progress.

"Well... there was this one idea I had in mind..." mumbled Hawlucha, rubbing his hand against his chin. "I recently found a way to teach Pokemon moves that they wouldn't normal learn until they grow stronger, but..."

"But?" parroted Bubbles, confused as to just what the side effects of something so useful could be.

"...It's dangerous; to both teacher and student." said Hawlucha. "It pushes the student's body to the absolute limit; forcing them to learn a new move to survive; and if the teacher isn't careful, they could be seriously hurt by said move..."

Bubbles stood there, thinking; did he really want to try something like that? What if he died? He certainly didn't want to keel over; especially not when there could be a way to bring Lin back. But, on the other hand, he may not be able to even find out if there was a way to bring her back unless he learned the technique. It was a tough call.

"...Hawlucha, I think I want to try it." said Bubbles. "Yeah, I might be a kid (to you), but I think I might really need to learn a stronger move."

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen." said Buizel with an uncharacteristically stern tone, stepping in front of Bubbles. "There's too much risk involved; I'm not letting you put your life on the line just for a move."

"Buizel..." mumbled Bubbles, feeling downtrodden. He understood why Buizel would do such a thing, but at the same time, it felt a little overbearing.

"I think we're done here, then." said Buizel, walking out of the tent. "Bubbles, you'd better hurry; if we don't leave now, we'll probably not be back in time."

Bubbles turned around to face Buizel, briefly thinking about what he should do. He realized that Buizel was right in this case; there'd be no point in having a cool new move if he was dead.

"Yeah, I'm coming." said Bubbles, walking out the front of the tent, and leaving Hawlucha by his lonesome, in wait of his next customer. The fighting-type sighed; both in relief and in sadness; on one hand, he was relieved he didn't have put a child through such dangerous training; but on the other hand, he felt that Bubbles may have had what it took, despite looking so young.

Bubbles and Buizel began to make their way to the town gate; the entrance to the desert wilderness that stretched out as far as the eye could see. They pushed their way through the bustling crowd of traders and explorers; all moving in different directions and seeking different destinations. The sound of crowd chatter filled the air; Bubbles couldn't even hear himself think over the sounds of other gossiping and gushing. Sahra Town may not have had as large of a population as Lively Town, but it's population density was nearly unmatched. Bubbles just tried to focus on Buizel's back; keeping it within sight at all times. Eventually, as they neared the stone arch that was the gateway, the crowd began to thin a little; and that's when Bubbles began to notice something else.

"...Who's there?" asked Bubbles, whirling around; feeling as if he was being watched. The crowd was far too dense to notice it before; but now he was almost certain someone else had their eyes fixated on his back; the chill running slowly down his spine being a sure-fire indicator of that. However, Bubbles didn't notice any suspicious individuals tailing them; just more Pokemon chattering away to one another. Still keeping his guard up, Bubbles resumed to follow Buizel. Buizel noticed that Bubbles fell behind a bit; but decided to wait until they got to the gate before bringing it up.

"What did you stop back there for?" asked Buizel, curious.

"That?" said Bubbles, trying his best to act as if nothing had happened. "Yeah, I just tripped up a little."

"...Really?" asked Buizel, a little suspicious. "I get that you're in your 'everything's nothing' mood, but seriously, don't hesitate to talk to me if somethings wrong."

"Seriously, there was just a crack in the road. I'm good." said Bubbles, lying through his lack of teeth. If he was still being watched, he wanted to misdirect his stalker; lure them in so that he can catch them red handed. So far, Buizel wasn't making that easy.

"Well, suit yourself..." muttered Buizel. "Anyway, have we got everything we need?"

"Yeah; 4 Reviver Seeds, 1 Quick Seed, blah blah blah, and a filled canteen of water for both of us." said Bubbles. "What about you?"

"Same here; apples, and all that." replied Buizel. "Which means we should get going before it gets dark."

The two water types drew close to the Sand Dune of Spirits just as the sun began to dip below the horizon; a sheet of flaming orange coating the ground and illustrious purples and pinks tinting the clouds. Their expedition gadgets began to beep; notifying them of the impending Dungeon; the entrance had to be close by. Sure enough, as they passed over one last dune of sand, they saw it; a wall of sandstone stretching far to east and west; the only way past being through a hallway in the dead centre of the wall. Prior to entering the maze, the two of them stopped to send a message to the HQ; informing them of their status.

"That's great to hear!" said Dedenne, pleased to hear that they were alright. "If everything goes according to plan, you'll be back right on time."

"That's good to hear." said Bubbles. "How about the others?"

"Mawile, Archen and Bunnelby set out for that anomaly just after you guys left." said Dedenne. "We decided to dub the new dungeon 'Panic Palace', as well, it put us in such a panic after all."

"Neat." said Bubbles, not really caring about that at the moment. "I think we'll be going in now, right Buizel?"

"Sounds like a plan." replied Buizel, grabbing his pack and walking forward.

"Give it your all out there, you two!" said Dedenne, before cutting the line. Bubbles put away his Expedition Gadget, and caught up to Buizel. The two stopped right outside the entrance to the Dungeon.

"You ready to go in?" said Buizel.

"Yeah. Let's go." replied Bubbles.

Slowly, the two of them walked forward. As soon as they stepped foot into the Dungeon, they began to feel the effects of one; their rate of metabolism skyrocketed as their bodies began to panic; and furthermore, they felt the walls of the dungeon begin to twist around them; moving in unnatural ways. Bubbles hated that initial feeling of walking into a Dungeon; even if he was slowly getting used to it. Eventually, the hallway lead to a dead end. Slowly, they turned around; and found themselves in a new room; on the first floor of the dungeon.

The first room was relatively bare bones; no hostile Pokemon resided within it, and neither did any items. It was about 9 meters by 5 meters in size; and its sole exit stood across from them; at the northern edge of the room, west side. They walked forward with some caution; an enemy could appear at any moment. Slowly, they turned the corner; entering the hallway; and proceeded north by about four meters, before the path turned to the east. They travelled this way for about 6 meters; before they spotted their first hostile; having just came around the corner ahead of them. It was a Growlithe; thankfully one of the weakest foe's they could encounter.

"Easy pickings." muttered Buizel, taking notice of the foe ahead. "He's about 4 meters away; blast him with Water Pulse before he gets too close."

Bubbles chose to follow Buizel's instructions. He squatted a little; gathering his thoughts; before placing his hands on his thighs and focusing. The moisture in the air ahead of him began to compress into a large ring; which Bubbles then forced forward at a startlingly high speed by throwing his arms forward, and commanding the ring to move with his mind. The ring of water slammed against the Fire-Type Pokemon; and knocked it out in a single hit. The Growlithe wouldn't have even known what had hit them.

The team advanced forward; Buizel choosing to let Bubbles take the lead. He may have been tougher then him, but he figured that he would be eager to lead anyway. Indeed, Bubbles was eager to lead; despite telling himself not to, he couldn't help but be a little excited; on the off chance that perhaps there was a way to bring back his Partner. He knew that getting hyped over something that could possibly be happening would leave him disappointed if it didn't happen; but then again, if he wasn't excited, then what was the point of even coming anyway?

The two of them turned the next corner, and continued south for about 10 meters; before turning to the west and continuing for another 4 meters, and then turning to the south again. after another two meters, they turned to the left again; and walked forward into another room. It was about 5 Meters by 7 meters in terms of size. Again, this room was empty; at least, in terms of life. However, on the ground ahead of them sat some small loot for the taking; an Oran Berry. it was about 3 meters away from Bubbles; to the south west. Bubbles began to walk over to it; but Buizel stopped; and turned to face an enemy that had entered the room through another entrance; a Houndoom. With his back turned to the enemy, Bubbles was unaware of the threat; and the Dark-Type stretched back; ready to pounce on the unsuspecting target. Without a second left to lose, Buizel zoomed forward at the threat that was two metres ahead of him with a swift Aqua Jet attack; knocking them out instantly.

"Whoa!" said Bubbles, turning around to see what was going on. Buizel turned around to face him.

"Careful Bubbles; you let that guy sneak up on you there." said Buizel, before turning around to watch his back. No other enemies seemed to be following the Houndoom.

"Yeah, you're right." admitted Bubbles, before leaning over to grab the Oran Berry. "I'll try to be more careful.

The room cleared, the two of them left out the entrance the Houndoom had come from; also on the eastern wall. The hallway was short; but it split like a T-junction; one path going far to the south; the other leading into a room right ahead of them; the two of them chose to go this way. The next room was about 7 meters by 7 meters; again, devoid of any potential threats. No letting his guard down, Bubbles whirled around to check and see if they were being followed; no threats seemed to be behind them. Cautious, the two of them left the room through another exit in the north-eastern corner; leading them to the room with the stairway up. No other threats were present in the room; so the two of them decided to continue up the stairs to the next floor.

After climbing up a few floors, they managed to arrive at the 9th level of the Dungeon. As they walked up the stairs, they felt the walls begin to shift; bending in ways that no laws of physics would ever permit. Upon reaching the peak of the stairs, they turned around; and saw that the stairs that they had just ascended had been replace with a dirt floor. Yet, on the previous floor, there had been no roof at all; just open air into the sky. Truly, Mystery Dungeons were a fascinating place. The room they had begun in was relatively large; about 7 meters by 9 meters. There were three exits; two to the south, and one to the north. Buizel chimed up.

"My gut's telling me we're on the southern edge of the floor; so I think we should move north." said Buizel, trying to avoid hitting a dead-end. The two of them took the top exit; advancing forward through the hall for about 6 meters, before turning to the east, and spotting a Pupitar in the way. Behind it was another Growlithe.

"Leave this to me." said Buizel. Bubbles ducked forward, aware of Buizel's next move. Sure enough, Buizel bend his legs a little, to ensure his stability, before taking a deep breath. He flexed his arms a little, and focused on drawing together as much moisture from the air as possible. He then let said moisture loose; in the form of a terrifyingly powerful Hydro Pump. The jetstream of water powered through both enemy Pokemon in their path; knocking them both out. Bubbles got back up; and flashed Buizel a thumbs up before advancing forward. They continued for a good 6 meters; before turning to face the north again, and advancing a further 8 meters north. Bubbles then look to his left; and advanced to the west. However, before they could make it to next room, Bubbles spotted a deadly threat emerge from another corner; a Volcarona, about 4 tiles ahead of them.

Bubbles, realizing he was low on PP, reached into his bag and pulled out a slumber wand they had purchased earlier; and gave it a strong swing. Sure enough, an orb of light burst forth from the wand, and barrelled rapidly at the deadly Bug-Type. Upon collision, the light engulfed the Volcarona; and when it dispersed, the moth was out cold. Careful not to awaken it, Bubbles and Buizel advanced forward into the room; it was about 9 meters by 7 meters in size, and had no loot on the floor. The two of them scanned around for hostiles before making a move for the hallway on the north end of the chamber; escaping the Volcarona's line of sight just before it awakened. Confused, the moth began to scout around for the intruders that had drugged it earlier.

Arriving in another room north of the previous one, Bubbles sighted the stairs in the north-eastern corner. Buizel looked around the room to see if there were any potential threats stuck with them; but the coast seemed to be clear. Without a moment left to lose, Bubbles raced for the staircase; however, before they could make it there, the Volcarona emerged from the hallway behind them. Time seemed to slow down as Bubbles saw the terrifyingly powerful Pokemon emerge; and without a moment left to lose, the moth gave a mighty swing of its wings and unleashed a terrifyingly powerful heat-wave attack. Bubbles and Buizel were thrown to the ground; despite resisting the fire-type move. Bubbles' skin felt like it was going to melt off from the sheer force of the heat. Barely able to cling on, Bubbles attempted to line up another shot with a slumber wand; but the Bug-Type was aware of their tactics now; and managed to dodge the orb of light that burst from the wand.

Buizel meanwhile wasn't in quite as bad a shape as Bubbles; he was still very badly hurt, but he was able to stand back up. Not giving their opponent a chance to catch their breath after dodging Bubbles' wand, Buizel gathered the strength to fire off one last Hydro Pump; exhausting his PP for the move. The Volcarona took the hit dead on; but despite being weak to water-typed moves, the enemy was still able to remain conscious; although they were definitely holding on with an inch of their life. Which is what now terrified Buizel.

The Volcarona was now right in front of him; and despite being weakened, its ability, Swarm, was going to make its bug-typed moves far stronger. Sure enough, the moth started vibrating its wings at an incredibly high speed; creating a mighty sound wave. Buizel was knocked out cold by the deadly Bug Buzz.

"Buizel!" Bubbles yelled, worried for his friend's safety. Without a moment left to spare, he reached into his bag, and pulled forth a reviver seed from it. Filled with powerful adrenaline, reviver seeds could reawaken a KO-ed Pokemon; as long as they managed to pierce the skin. Without a moment's thought, Bubbles hurled the seed at his ally with all of his remaining might. Sure enough, the seed barely managed to prick Buizel; and transferred the energy held within it into his body. Revitalized, Buizel re awoke, and immediately slammed into Volcarona with an Aqua Jet; expending the PP he had left for that move as well. Volcarona was knocked out by the final attack. Exhausted, Bubbles' planted his head into the ground beneath them, before rolling over onto his back; barely able to catch his breath.

"Hey, Bubbles, you OK?" asked Buizel, worried about the state that his friend was in.

"...Yeah... Just..." said Bubbles, in between taking massive, heaping breaths. "We're at the end, right?"

"Yeah. C'mon, let's go." said Buizel, before leaning down and picking up the barely conscious Bubbles. Slowly, he climbed the stairs, each step being far harder than previously, thanks to the added wait of having to carry his teammate. Regardless, after what felt like an eternity of climbing, they finally managed to reach the peak; and by extension, the end of the Sand Dune of Spirits.

Or at least, what Buizel had hoped was the end of the Sand Dune. Buizel could feel it in his gut; they hadn't made it out of the dungeon just yet. They found themselves in a wide room; with a hall just ahead of them. Buizel suspected that the corridor was the exit to the dungeon; but alas, there was one last obstacle standing between him and escape. In the centre of the room sat a long dead tree; any source of water having been exhausted eons ago. Beneath that tree stood a quadrupedal Pokemon; with a heavy, iron mask welded unto their head. Their back was turned to them; but Buizel didn't need to see them head on to realize just who they were.

It was Null.

"...I was expecting a Volcarona." said Null. His voice seemed almost unnatural; synthesized. It was deep, and guttural, and echoed through his helmet and by extension through the air around them. It exuded power and dominance. Buizel hesitated to reply.

"...But we all make mistakes." they continued, turning around. There was no doubt in his mind; the sketch on the poster was a near perfect recreation of the terrifying Pokemon that stood ahead of him now.

"You're..." Bubbles mumbled, recognizing the terror that they had stumbled upon. He wasn't strong enough to get another word out.

"Yes. I'm Null." the bandit king finished, before scratching his claws on the ground, threatening the two Pokemon that had intruded upon his recruitment drive. "I'm certain that you've heard of me."

"I'm aware of your reputation." said Buizel, slowly setting Bubbles' aside before assuming a prepared stance. He was on his guard; despite his confidence, he knew that the enigmatic Pokemon ahead of him could probably easily take him in a fight.

"Now, I tend to be a merciful Pokemon..." began Null, also assuming a combat ready stance. "And I noticed that badge you're wearing. I seem to remember the insignia from somewhere; care to remind me?"

"It's the symbol of the expedition society." said Buizel, before smirking. "What, does it scare you?"

"Fear is a concept alien to me." said Null. Buizel could imagine them smirking back from behind his helmet. "But yes, I can recall hearing about your group from someone I robbed. They screamed told me that your group would stop me. I laughed at the time."

"Unlike you, I'm not generally merciful; but I'll make an exception." began Buizel, still on guard. "We've got bigger berries to fry than you; so why don't you just let us pass on through?"

"Bigger than me?" parroted Null, now sounding annoyed. "How irritating!"

Null slowly started to stomp forward; his footsteps causing the ground to quake a little. Buizel started to sweat; he'd probably pushed his luck too far once again.

"...Yes, I'll let you through to the end of this Sand Dune of Spirits..." growled Null. Buizel felt the air begin to chill around them; and the wind in the air suddenly went silent. Without a moment's notice, Null zoomed forward; the bug-like claws on his forelimbs extended out like knives. In instinct, Buizel rolled to the left; gathering his focus as his opponent landed. As Null turned to face him, Buizel countered the bandit leaders previous attack by stomping his left foot. Immediately, moisture rose out of the ground beneath them, and began to whirl around Null; trapping them in a Whirlpool.

"I'll be leaving, thanks!" said Buizel, knowing when to fold his cards. He ran over to grab Bubbles; and then turned to make a break for the exit; but paused when he spotted Null standing in the way.

"Mhmmm." hummed the enemy, tapping his claws on the ground. "Cowardly... Or perhaps, out of PP?"

"Take a wild guess." said Buizel, stomping his foot again; this time surrounding the Whirlpool around himself and Bubbles to give himself a barrier; and time to think. How did Null manage to escape the whirlpool? Buizel immediately found the answer by looking up; and witnessing Null leaping into the air above him.

"Congratulations." said Null, before zooming down from the sky and crashing down atop the two water-types. "You played yourself."

Buizel was knocked out cold in a single blow from Null; it was clear that he was no match for them; seeing as Null could defeat him without having to use a single Pokemon move. Chuckling to himself, Null slowly walked over to Bubbles' bag, prepared to loot the unconscious water-type; before realizing that Bubbles was wide awake. Bubbles, aware of the foe ahead of him, shoved his hand into the bag, and pulled out the 2nd remaining slumber wand; and swinging it at his foe. Unable to react in time, Null took a direct blow from the orb, and fell asleep. Aware of how he didn't have much time, Bubbles quickly reached into his bag and pulled out the Oran Berry he had found earlier; scoffing it down to recover his strength.

Revitalized, Bubbles reached into the bag again to grab a reviver seed for Buizel; but he wasn't quite fast enough, and Null re awoke before he could resuscitate his ally. Slowly rising, Null let out a growling yawn; before staring down their new opponent. After a few tense seconds, Null burst into laughter; unable to take Bubbles seriously, even for a moment.

"You truly intend to fight me?" roared Null, wheezing in disbelief. "A CHILD?!"

"I'm more of an adult than a power-tripper than you." grumbled Bubbles, not taking kindly to the bandit king's description of him.

"Power trip?" chuckled Null, "No, I'm afraid I'm always this strong."

Null lunged forward again. Bubbles hopped to the right, dodging the attack with ease. He was quick on his feet; and despite his low PP, he still had quite a few moves left in his arsenal. Null whirled around and leaped at Bubbles again; this time, Bubbles front flipped over the enemy; and fired an Ice Beam at his target whilst above him. Completely unfazed by the attack, Null slowly turned around. Bubbles assumed a prepared stance; ready to dodge another lunge from his foe. Said Lunge never came.

"This is boring me." said Null, before swinging his arm ahead of him. "Air Slash."

Sharp, compressed blades of air were shot forward with incredible speed from Null's claws. Bubbles attempted to dodge the attack, but he wasn't fast enough; one of the blades leaving a nasty cut in his leg. Wincing in pain, Bubbles felt to the ground; and landed poorly; resulting in him also pulling the ligaments in his wounded leg. Gritting his... mouth, Bubbles attempted to drag himself away; but Null leapt over and slammed his claw down on Bubbles' damaged leg, holding him in place.

"This is... mercy?" growled Bubbles, barely able to hold back the pain he was experiencing. He felt his blood beginning to boil.

"No." said Null, in a dull, but booming monotone. "It's a lesson in respect."

Bubbles' heartbeat began to spike; he felt his tiny little blood pumper sounding like a drum. His adrenaline beginning to flow belief, Bubbles attempted to pull out his last resort; reaching for his bag. Null slammed its other claw on said bag, and hurled it out of Bubbles' reach. They then picked Bubbles up; and began to smash him against the wall repeatedly; face first into the sandstone barrier.

"Y'know, I never asked..." said Null as they hurled Bubbles limp body across the room. "I know about your badge; but what about your scarf? Is it just a fashion accessory?"

Bubbles attempted to groan; but the air had all but completely escaped from his lungs. He desperately attempted to catch a breath; but Null was upon him once again in no time flat. They grasped Bubbles tightly with his claws, and held him right in front of their mask. Bubbles was too weak to even struggle.

"What's wrong? Too weak to run your mouth off at me?" growled Null, before hurling Bubbles at the wall with all of his might. Bubbles slammed into the sandstone with incredible force; and as a result, the wall crumbled down atop of him; burying him in rubble. Despite all of this, his heart continued to beat faster and faster.

"I can't believe these weaklings took down my Volcarona..." Null muttered, walking over to inspect the contents of Bubbles' bag. They rummaged through it briefly; tossing aside all of the various goods he deemed to be useless. In particular, they withdrew the sole remaining Big Apple from the bag; the other two had been consumed by the team earlier. They held it tightly; inspecting it from multiple angles. It looked incredibly delicious; succulent, saturated reds that not even the most beautiful fire-types could achieve.

Enraged by this, Null crushed it his hand. He shook the bag out; before realizing the two adventurers had absolutely nothing of value to him. Absolutely furious, Null slowly began to approach the pile of rubble; ready to continue his curb stomp of the water-type that couldn't keep their pathetic mouth shut. Each step he took felt as if the earth was bowing before him; the tectonics beating like a heart. Null stopped before the pile of rubble; and began to charge a Tri-Attack.

And yet, the sound of the heartbeat continued. Null paused; confused as to the sound he was hearing. Was there another intruder nearby? Or was it something else...? Null suddenly leaped away from the pile of stones as he saw beams of brilliant lights emerge from the gaps in the rubble. Photons of all colours burst forth from the sandstone as the pile of cobbles began to levitate into the air. Standing within the glowing rainbow emerged a silhouette; far taller than Bubbles should have been. A stretchy tongue emerged from the new Pokemon's mouth; wrapping around his lips and neck like a scarf. The light suddenly dispersed; with a powerful burst that threw Null away from the new foe.

"Yeah, about time Xerneas." muttered Bubbles; quickly adjusting to his radical change in biology. He glared down Null with a fierce intensity; before slowly marching forward. Null quickly got back to their feet; and assumed a defensive stance. The sudden transformation had left him confused; and frankly, absolutely terrified. He hadn't seen this kind of shift in form in person; but he remembered hearing about it a long time ago. He immensely regretted bringing up the scarf.

"It's a memento." said Bubbles, before suddenly zooming forward at breakneck speeds; the air around him heating up a little. Null attempted to dodge the attack; but Bubbles had never intended to hit his enemy head on with a physical attack; instead opting to track his movements and fire off a Water Pulse exactly where Null was going to be. In his transformed state, Bubbles' PP was completely restored; and he could fire off moves much faster; only needing to swing his arms forward to launch off a Water Pulse; with little to no focus required. It was if the moves came naturally to him; as if he was in a body that suited his age.

The water pulse slammed directly into Null; knocking them backwards and damaging them greatly. Wary of his opponent, Bubbles chose to deprive him of time to recover; leaping into the air with his powerful legs to deliver a strong Aerial Ace attack. However, Null was far tougher than he initially let on; indeed, Null was a little underwhelmed by the strength of Bubbles' attacks. For such powerful fanfare, he was expecting moves that were a little flashier. Regardless, Null whirled around and leaped into the air after Bubbles; before launching off several powerful Air Slashes. Bubbles didn't expect this; he ended up getting another bad cut on his left arm from a swipe he failed to dodge correctly. However, Bubbles quickly adapted; launching a half-baked Water Pulse above him to send him back to the ground. Landing on his two feet with incredible force, the earth beneath him cracked; kicking up stones. Like a flash, Bubbles reached down and grasped a large stone, before hurling it at the still airborne Null in a potent Smack Down attack. The stone knocked Null off course and he slammed to the ground at a horrid angle; leaving him on his back and struggling to get back on his feet.

Bubbles took his chance; and unloaded everything he had into Null; firing Ice Beam's from his mouth, and Water Pulses from his still working arm. The terrifying barrage attacks pounded away at Null like he was a pincushion; and throwing him around like a rag-doll. Eventually, Bubbles completely exhausted the PP of his available moves; and left Null like a complete Popsicle. The threat no longer apparent to the source of Bubbles' transformation, it ended, sending Bubbles back to his normal form. That was the 4th time Bubbles had utilised that transformation; and the first time he had done so by his lonesome.

Bubbles quickly picked up one of the Reviver seeds that had been strewn about in Null's deranged search of Bubbles' bag; and force-fed it to Buizel; reviving his teammate. Buizel yawned; slowly opening his eyes before groaning; his entire body sore from having Null slam directly atop of him.

"Bubbles... what happened?" mumbled Buizel, sitting up as he came to his senses.

"Null knocked you out; I managed to stop him for now, but there's no telling how long he'll be trapped; especially in this heat." replied Bubbles, pointing to where Null was frozen. "So we better get moving."

"Y-you turned them into an ice cube..." muttered Buizel. "How?"

"Yeah, my scarf activated." said Bubbles, tugging on his accessory. "Guess now that we brought the Tree of Life back its range has improved."

"Shame I didn't get to see you take him down." said Buizel as he ran about, picking up of the discarded contents of Bubbles' bag that Null had thrown around. He noticed the crushed pieces of apple; but paid no mind to it; it had probably been just smashed apart in the battle. Bubbles also gathered what they had lost; but stopped part of the way through when he felt something odd; a psychic presence entering his mind. He stood on guard; trying to prevent whatever entity that was intruding into his head from observing his thoughts; but whoever was contacting him was extremely powerful; and smashed apart any attempt of Bubbles to resist him.

"Come. We should speak." said the presence. There was only one person Bubbles thought it could be; Xatu.

Bubbles and Buizel emerged from the narrow corridor and stood upon a massive cliff; stretching out above a deep ravine. The cliff was completely barren; no plants grew from the dry, rocky surface. The only other organism within a several kilometre radius was Null... and the figure that stood ahead of the two adventurers; back turned to them as it stared out towards the now rising sun.

"So that's Xatu..." muttered Buizel, squinting his eyes to get a better look at who stood ahead of them.

"...And so you are Buizel." said Xatu. "You will remain there whilst I speak with Bubbles."

Buizel nodded, understanding Xatu's rather simple instruction. He typically would kick up a bit of a fuss if he was ordered around by someone he'd never met; but he also held some respect for the powerful Pokemon that stood before him. Bubbles slowly hopped forward; cautious, but also eager to meet the seer that Ampharos had told him to meet.

"So, do you already know why we're here?" asked Bubbles, testing to see the extents of Xatu's foresight.

"I see what has been and what will be." said Xatu, his gaze never breaking from the horizon. Bubbles wondered just how safe it was to stare out like that; wouldn't the rising sun damage Xatu's eyes? Regardless, Xatu continued to speak.

"I knew that you would come. And why." continued Xatu. "You seek answers regarding the fate of your friend."

Bubbles slowly nodded; confirming Xatu's visions of the future.

"You should know now that, due to an incident, I do not offer my help to just anyone who comes to see me." said Xatu. For perhaps the briefest moment, Bubbles took notice of a slight change in Xatu's body language. Whatever this incident was, it had deeply affected the seer.

"I will aid you now because you saved our world." Xatu finished, before finally turning to face Bubbles. He extended one of his wings towards Bubbles; as if he was asking for something.

"That scarf you wear; the one weaved from the Tree of Life..." said Xatu. "Show it to me."

Slowly, Bubbles untied the scarf from his neck; a little hesitant to hand it over. Xatu detected this.

"Do not hesitate; for I will return it." said Xatu. Bubbles nodded, and handed the scarf over to Xatu. Xatu examined it closely; examining its visible history; before holding it into the sky; and letting his mind break into the spiritual barrier; and examining its invisible history. This took great focus; but eventually, the barriers between the past, present, and future crumbled before Xatu's very eyes; and he laid witness to the history of the scarf.

"Bwa-a-a-a-a-a-ahhhh!" Xatu screamed; before lowering his arms and dropping the scarf to the floor; his mind overwhelmed by the sheer volume of what he had witnessed. Slowly, he tried to piece together what he had seen; but most of it was obscured; even to him. Something had attempted to hide the history of the Harmony Scarf from him; something very powerful.

"What in the world?!" yelped Bubbles, surprised by Xatu's sudden scream. Noticing the falling scarf, Bubbles dashed forward and grabbed before it touched the floor, before quickly slipping it back on.

"I have seen something no normal Pokemon was ever supposed to bear witness too..." mumbled Xatu; informing Bubbles of the circumstances of his outburst. "It will take me time to process all of this."

"So we'll have to come back?" said Bubbles, confused, and a little disappointed. What was the point of even coming there in the first place if this was all they were going to get?

"No. I will visit your society when I decipher what I have learned." said Xatu. "Which I estimate will not be long."

"Er... well..." mumbled Bubbles, unsure of how to explain to Xatu the circumstances of the Expedition Society.

"Do not fret." said Xatu, reading Bubbles' mind. "Your Society will remain interlinked; even if the place you call home is reduced to rubble."

"...Well, I suppose you'd know best." said Bubbles, before turning to look to Buizel. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah; we'd best get out of here before Null melts." said Buizel.

"...Null?" said Xatu; an element of surprise in his voice. "They are... here?"

"Didn't you detect him?" asked Bubbles, confused. "He's been here longer than we have."

"...Then there has been a change in plans." said Xatu. "I will go with you."

"Wait, what?" said Bubbles, now very confused. "Why?"

"I cannot detect Null; nor can I best them." said Xatu. "That mask is not meant to exist; it is an abomination from beyond our world. It reduces Null's terrible power to 45% of its full strength; but it has also eroded away their sanity. If they are truly here, then we are all in terrible danger."

"Yeah, I mean, not really..." mumbled Bubbles. "I froze him solid about 10 minutes ago."

"Your scarf wasn't enough to take down Entei." said Buizel. "And that was with Lin."

"Indeed. By freezing Null, all you have accomplished is creating a powerful enemy." said Xatu. "We must all leave now; before they break free from their frosty prison. Stay close to me!"

Bubbles and Buizel briskly approached Xatu; standing with barely a meter between each other. Xatu then outstretched his wings; and a circle of light formed beneath their feet. Seconds later, the light engulfed then; before they disappeared; returning to the headquarters of the Expedition Society.

Null burst forth from the cube of ice that had engulfed him; sending lances of frozen water in all possible directions. Enraged beyond belief, they let out a commanding, bellowing roar, before proceeding to continuously fire off Tri-Attacks erratically; destroying almost everything around him. He cared not; for as long as one of the things they erased was Bubbles, he was content. This wasn't the case; so their rage only boiled even hotter. However, they managed to focus it; eventually transforming the blind wrath into a controlled, tranquil fury. Breathing deeply, Null vowed to dispose of Bubbles; and the filthy psychic monster he held dear in revenge for the deep cut to their pride.


	3. Chapter 3

Dedenne once again pressed the call button on their Expedition Gadget; attempting to contact the team that had traveled to Panic Palace. So far, she had no luck; despite trying to establish communication for a few hours now. Either they had been knocked out; or something was interfering with the local signal.

"Come on..." muttered Dedenne, getting increasingly frustrated, before finally snapping. She let out a small shout; before dropping her Expedition Gadget onto her desk and walking out of what was left of her office. She'd been up working all night; helping Jirachi with his machines, helping Ampharos with his paperwork. It was about time she had breakfast.

Dedenne arrived at the cafeteria; stepping through the doorway just as her stomach let out a mighty growl. Starving, she walked over to the opposite end of the room; where rows of sweets, berries and apples sat atop benches. A small pool of water sat nearby for washing; she quickly splashed some on her face, and rubbed it across her hands as well. She then picked out her absolute favorite from the various choices of grub; A bunch of Nanab berries. She walked over to the table and began to chow down; taking a large bite out of one of the wet, bitter fruits. Swirlix didn't often cook with them; they weren't a favorite of hers; but Dedenne absolutely adored the taste. The mushy texture made it easy to chew on as well; Dedenne often struggled at tearing apart harder berries like the Chesto or Wiki.

Dedenne perked her head up when she noticed someone else enter the room; it was Swirlix; likely coming to get her own breakfast. Dedenne always tried to keep a close eye on her; it had been a while since she had chowed down on all the remaining food; but Dedenne could never be certain she wouldn't try it again.

"Morning, Swirlix." said Dedenne, greeting the glutton as she entered the room. Despite the wonderfully bitter taste of the Nanab berry, Dedenne still hadn't got over the issues in communication they were facing. She was very worried for Mawile, Archen, and Bunnelby; especially since they were going to be evicted by dawn tomorrow.

"Oh, Dedenne- Is something wrong?" asked Swirlix, worried for her friend. Despite her love of food, she was trying to stop her snaking tendencies from getting in the way of socializing.

"Yeah, I've been trying to contact Mawile's team all night." sighed Dedenne, swallowing the last piece of her breakfast. "So far, they haven't responded at all."

"That doesn't sound good..." said Swirlix, her mood deflating as she looked to the floor. "Does the chief know?"

"I updated him about an hour ago." replied Dedenne, getting up from her seat. "I suppose I should go and give him another status update, though."

"And don't forget to contact Bubbles, too!" said Swirlix, her cheery mood reigniting. She was trying hard to help Dedenne feel better; a good attitude leads to a good work ethic. It's as the laws of the Society said; Smile and say hello, get plenty of rest, and eat right! That last law was especially important; Swirlix believed that by preparing healthy, tasty food, she could be just as important as the other members; despite not being all that strong in dungeons. Sadly, said food was also good at elevating her own mood...

"And don't worry; I'm sure they'll be fine!" shouted Swirlix to Dedenne as she left the room. Swirlix felt proud; she had managed to go through a whole conversation without talking about snacks; so naturally, it was time she rewarded herself. She walked over to the stacks of food; and leaped up, grabbing a doughnut from the top shelf. Time for breakfast!

Dedenne knocked on the wooden door frame before entering Ampharos' office. Ampharos was at his desk; sorting his papers into various boxes. Dedenne was wondering if Ampharos planned to carry them all; and was worried that he didn't have a place to stay. Thankfully; Mawille had offered to let Ampharos crash at her old place with her friends Machoke and Breloom in Cespedinente. Dedenne chuckled at the thought of the adult Ampharos joining a fraternity.

"Ah, Dedenne, I didn't see you there." said Ampharos, noticing his faithful guide. "Did you manage to get in contact with Mawile and the others?"

"That's why I'm here; I still haven't managed to reach them." said Dedenne, shaking her head. "It's been all night now; surely something must have gone wrong..."

"Mhmmm. Yes, it is worrying that we haven't anything from them yet..." hummed Ampharos, placing his hand on his chin; thinking. He must have been coming up with a cunning plan.

"What about Bubbles? Have you contacted him yet?" asked Ampharos, curious to know about the current status of Bubbles' mission. Right on cue, a brilliant burst of light came from the Nexus room; startling Ampharos and Dedenne. Confused, they both went out to have a look; and spotted Bubbles, Buizel, and Xatu; having teleported all the way to the headquarters from Alqaramal. Xatu pulled something from its pockets; a small, purple gemstone, examining it closely before putting it back.

"Ah, Bubbles! We were just talking about you!" said Ampharos, greeting his relatively new recruit. "And I see that you've brought a guest!"

"So you are Ampharos..." said Xatu, acknowledging the chief's presence. "I have heard about many an exploit of yours."

"Did you guys find anything out about Lin?" asked Dedenne, curious to know just how successful their little journey was. Buizel shook his head side to side in response.

"Xatu did some weird things with Bubbles' scarf; and saw some weird stuff." said Buizel. "He's going to sleep on it; try to work things out."

"Well, that's better luck than we're having; we still haven't heard from Mawile's team at all since she left..." mumbled Dedenne. "We're worried about her; but we didn't have enough manpower to go and send a team to help her."

"That's not good." said Bubbles, furling his... eyes. "Not even an SOS mail?"

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me!" said Dedenne, turning around to race for the mailbox. Someone stood in her way; and it was a grinning Swirlix.

"I got that covered!" said Swirlix. "And look what it is; an SOS from Mawile!"

"Why do you sound so happy saying that..." said Bubbles, before grabbing the letter and ripping it open. Inside was a message from Mawile; obviously scrawled out rather quickly from the looks of the unusually poor handwriting.

"Something awful here with us; come prepared." it said; before the extra details were listed below. They had been defeated on the 19th basement floor of Panic Palace; and were offering a small sum of Poke as a reward. Bubbles didn't need the incentive.

"The I've got no time to waste." said Bubbles; tossing the paper behind him "We close up shop tomorrow morning; I'll run in there, save them, and escape using an orb."

"That sounds like our best option at this point." said Buizel. "If Mawile can't beat this... thing, in the dungeon, then I don't like our odds."

"Bubbles, are you sure you should go? You just went on a big expedition..." said Dedenne, worried that he would push himself to hard.

"I'll scoff down on some donuts for energy." said Bubbles, before looking at Swirlix. "Unless you ate them first."

"Only one!" yelled Swirlix, desperately trying to defend herself.

Bubbles walked down to Kecleon's market; toting a large amount of Poke he had acquired on his previous expedition to the Sand Dune of Spirits. He approached the counter, and put down his order; a restock of his previous items; as well as an escape orb, three Oran Berries, and a petrify orb; for the off chance that he ran into a monster house. His transaction complete, Bubbles then took a stroll over to the bank; where he deposited his cash; before returning to the HQ to grab a late breakfast. On arrival, he was spotted by Ampharos; who approached him for conversation.

"Xatu informed me of the circumstances." said Ampharos. "He should be able to tell us something by tomorrow morning."

"And then I guess I'll be on my own from there." said Bubbles, sighing, before his confidence returned. "But now's not the time to dwell on that."

"Indeed. Now, Buizel sadly lacks your energy, so you'll be going with Swirlix; if that's alright." said Ampharos. "Dedenne will remain here and provide support, if need be."

"Swirlix?" said Bubbles, a little surprised. "Are you sure she's up to it?"

"Well, I hate to be rude, but..." Ampharos paused, unsure of how to voice his thoughts. "Well, she insisted on it; she wants more experience out in the field, apparently."

Bubbles shook his head, sighing. Swirlix wasn't very tough; even compared to him. Regardless, one teammate was better than none; so he decided to go find the cook and fill her in on the plan. As he left, Ampharos reminded him of one last thing.

"Remember Bubbles; we all have limits." said Ampharos. "Just go in there, and make sure that the others are returned to safety."

Bubbles entered the kitchen; where he saw Swirlix arranging eagerly arranging the food items on the shelves. Worried, he walked forward.

"Swirlix, please tell me you're not snacking." said Bubbles, shaking his head. She turned around, and began to growl at him.

"Is EVERYTHING I do snacking to you guys? Sheesh!" she snapped, stomping up and down on the spot. Bubbles was a little intimidated.

"I was organizing all of our food; and getting rid of all the expired stuff!" said Swirlix. "Mainly because that doughnut I ate earlier was stale- but that's not the point!"

"O-ok... sorry..." said Bubbles, backing away. He was regretting pushing her buttons.

"And to think, I wanted to help you!" yelled Swirlix, stomping off in a huff, grumbling. "This is what I get for trying to diet..."

Guilt washed over Bubbles. He knew that he had made a mistake; and that he needed to rectify it immediately. He raced over to Swirlix.

"Swirlix, wait!" Bubbles shouted. "I didn't mean to offend-"

"Then why'd you even ask?" said Swirlix, giving him the cold shoulder. "C'mon, let's get going; or else we won't make it back in time."

Bubbles and Swirlix entered the harbor; and approached Lapras. Lapras was surprised to see Bubbles.

"Bubbles? I don't remember taking to back here from Alqaramal..." said Lapras, a little confused. "How did you get back?"

"Xatu teleported Buizel and I all the way here." replied Bubbles. "We want to go to a dungeon on the island to the south; you think you can take us there?"

"Panic Palace, right? The one Mawile went too..." said Lapras, looking a little worried. "I'm worried about her; she wasn't at the landing point when I went to pick her up..."

"We got an SOS Mail from her; so we're going in to save her." said Swirlix. "We don't plan on sticking around for all that long after."

"Well, it's good to know she's alive..." said Lapras, sighing in relief. "Climb aboard; we don't have much time to lose."

Bubbles and Swirlix climbed down from Lapras' back; setting foot onto the island where the Panic Palace was supposed to be. The ground consisted of cold, hard gravel that grinded against Bubbles' feet as he walked across it. The two of them bid Lapras farewell before walking up the shore; hoping to make it to the dungeon before sundown. The two of them didn't talk much; their earlier confrontation hard carved a cold rift between them. Bubbles had tried to talk to Swirlix; but she clearly wasn't having any of it.

As they climbed across the crest of the hill separating the shore from the mainland, they spotted their destination in the distance; tall spires of black stone making such rather obvious. The fortress lacked windows; and appeared to by falling apart at the seams; ruins extending far out from the main castle. Had they stumbled upon an ancient civilization? Curious, Bubbles advanced forward; stumbling down the hill and seeing the ruins close up. What appeared to be small fortresses dotted the landscape; and the remains of walls ran between them. Split cobblestones indicated that roads ran down the walls; with the gates far from eachother. Perhaps if they were expecting an invader, they would be forced either to destroy the walls, or travel through the maze; taking fire from the soldiers above them.

"(Or flying Pokemon could just fly over the walls.)" Bubbles imagined Mawile saying. She must have been absolutely beside herself with sheer curiosity; he was worried that she might just come running back once he rescued her group.

"(Lin would've loved to come here...)" Bubbles thought.

"Bubbles, I don't think the dungeons in that small keep." said Swirlix, dragging him back to reality. Blinking and shaking his head; Bubbles let out a small "Oh." before resuming his journey to the main castle. Eventually, they made it to the main gate; its doors having been blasted off a long time ago. The two of them took some time to gather themselves.

"Have we got everything?" said Swirlix, raising an eyebrow. Bubbles checked the bag; Oran Berries, Wands, Orbs, Apples, and Seeds were all accounted for.

"Yeah, we got everything." said Bubbles, nodding to Swirlix.

"Then let's go." said Swirlix, pushing ahead and trying to enter the dungeon. Bubbles tapped her on the shoulder, trying to get her attention.

"What?" she said, turning around to glare at Bubbles. Bubbles shook his head.

"Just don't rush in all upset, okay?" said Bubbles, warning Swirlix. "This isn't a good mindset for going on an expedition."

"Well, it seems to work great for you." said Swirlix. "Who knew that breaking every law of the Expedition Society was a good way to get things done?"

"What HAVE I gotten done!?" shouted Bubbles, now rather annoyed at Swirlix. "I'm a washout! A worthless, weakling child who'd rather mope around about his dead friend than try to get over it!"

Swirlix backed away; rather intimidated by Bubbles' sudden outburst.

"I've never accomplished anything meaningful in my life, Swirlix." said Bubbles, looking to the ground as tears began to well up in his eyes. "I'm not some special 'chosen one'. Lin was the one who had to save the world; all I did was make things worse for everyone."

Swirlix walked over to Bubbles, concerned for her friend. She realized that Bubbles was probably even more fragile than ceramics; and she, in some incredibly petty grudge, had just pushed him off the table.

"Bubbles, I-" Swirlix was interrupted.

"C'mon, we don't have much time left until sundown." said Bubbles, taking a deep breath and wiping away the moisture from the edges of his eyes. He had remembered what Lin had told him; and he managed to bottle up his feelings with ease. Besides, now wasn't the time to throw some stupid tantrum. Swirlix followed behind Bubbles as they entered the dungeon; and the halls began to twist around them.

Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, Ampharos placed the last file into its respective box. He breathed a sigh of relief, before carrying the last box out to the main hall; readied to be picked up by Mawile's friends come the brink of dawn. That is, if Mawile made it back in time. Ampharos shook his head; now certainly wasn't the time to worry like that; Bubbles was more than capable of making it to the 19th basement floor; especially seeing as they had Swirlix with them. Sure, they were in a bit of a huff when they left, but he was certain that they'd manage to turn things around.

It was pouring outside; autumn rains coming down like a monsoon. Water flowed down the edges of the street like a river; small aqueducts guiding the stream into homes for use as drinking water. Lightning struck far out into the south; thunder echoing from the location it came crashing down about 4 seconds later. It must have been about 4 kilometers away. Light from the strike briefly illuminated the building. Buizel, who was having difficulty sleeping, was wandering the halls when he saw the lightning strike; and more importantly, a figure standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, we're closed." said Buizel, too tired to really care just who the figure was. "Permanently."

The figure stepped forward, directly into the candlelight. And by stepped, Buizel meant hovered; levitating a good foot above the ground. Buizel backed away when he saw the figure; terrified by the unnatural Pokemon standing before him. It was tall; a good two meters high; and had pale, gray skin; with a slight purple hue. It also had a massive, bulbous purple tail; and a tube connecting its feline head to its back. Its eyes glowed slightly; icy blue, like Bubbles skin. The enigmatic Pokemon began to speak; in a dull, robotic monotone.

"Where is Bubbles?" it said.

Bubbles and Swirlix managed to gather their senses shortly after the dungeon; and found themselves in an eerie, cold room. There was a sense of unease hovering in the air; even moreso than a standard Mystery Dungeon. A chill went down Swirlix's spine; it had been a while since she had gone into a dungeon; especially one as foreboding as this. Bubbles was a little uneasy; he had made it through worse, after all; but he still couldn't help but feel a little on edge. The dungeon appeared to be just the same as any other to his eyes; but his gut was telling him something else.

"Swirlix, did we get a scan on the kinds of Pokemon that live here?" asked Bubbles, looking towards his teammate. Swirlix nodded; and pulled out her expedition gadget, checking some notes that Jirachi sent to her.

"It's mostly dark types around here; Bisharps, Murkrow, and Meowth." answered Swirlix. "I was hoping for something a little less... stereotypical."

"Wait, Meowth?" asked Bubbles, confused. "Isn't Meowth a... normal type?"

"Wait, you really don't know that some Meowth's can be Dark-Type?" asked Swirlix confused. "Some are just born with a Dark-Type instead of a Normal-Type."

"That's weird; first time I've ever heard of that." said Bubbles, shrugging. "What's next; a Dragon-Type Exeggutor?"

Swirlix snickered, before walking forward, taking the lead. Seeing as she could hit the majority of the pokemon in the dungeon super-effectively, she figured that she would be more capable than Bubbles was at fighting. Whilst still on the first floor, they entered a room, and sure enough, encountered a Dark-Typed Meowth. Not having been noticed yet, Swirlix assumed a prepared stance; ready to attack it.

"Watch this!" she whispered, before unleashing her strongest fairy move on the opponent; Fairy Wind. The Meowth was obviously hurt by the attack; stumbling about and dazed; but they didn't seem all that badly wounded. They turned around; and glared at Swirlix with a furious intensity; before leaping forward with its claws extended; ready to tear the poor Pokemon apart.

"Back off!" yelled Bubbles, leaping over Swirlix and intercepting the Meowth with an Aerial Ace. The Meowth fell the ground, KOed by the attack; and Bubbles stuck his landing rather well. Swirlix, taken aback, and a little embarrassed, waddled over to Bubbles.

"S-Sorry about that..." said Swirlix, feeling down in the dumps. Her head leaned forward as she gazed into the floor.

"Don't worry about it; the Pokemon in here must be tough if you can't knock them out with a super-effective move." replied Bubbles. "Tell you what; I'll take the lead, and you can have the glory of finishing off any enemies we find."

"Sounds like a plan!" said Swirlix, raising her head and smiling. Her chipper attitude must have returned at that point; she seemed a little more confident than she was when she was moping around. Bubbles didn't smile; but he also felt a little better; and more prepared to advance into the dungeon. They managed to eventually find the stairs to the second basement floor; and advanced forward.

Upon reaching the tenth floor, Bubbles and Swirlix arrived in a small room. By that point, they had exhausted a good amount of supplies; together, they had consumed two oran berries, two big apples, and a reviver seed. They had found another apple in the dungeon; but it was obvious that most of the loot had already been taken by Mawile's team.

"Only nine floors left to go..." muttered Swirlix, walking ahead of Bubbles. Bubbles, beginning to feel a little tired; held up his hand and called to Swirlix.

"Hang on, let's just take a little breather..." said Bubbles, before falling back onto his rear-end. His exhaustion began to fully kick in; he could barely pull his torso up from the ground; and holding his eyelids up was a burden. Swirlix waddled over, concerned.

"Bubbles, are you... okay?" she asked, worried. He was obviously rather tired; but he seemed far more exhausted than he should've been.

"Yeah... I'm just completely wiped out..." said Bubbles; his eyes slowly falling shut, before fluttering open again. "Guess that doughnut wasn't enough..."

"You just rest for a bit, okay?" said Swirlix, smiling before taking Bubbles' bag. "I'll keep watch."

Absolutely pooped, Bubbles slumped back; passing out; and beginning to snore. Swirlix let out a small chuckle before checking to sole exit to the room; so far, no patrolling enemies had stumbled upon them. Swirlix took a little time to reflect; thinking about just what had attacked Mawile down below. Secretly, she was absolutely terrified; what if that enemy found them before they found Mawile? What if there were multiple of them? She shook her head back and forth; blinking; she almost let her fears take a hold of her. At times like these, it was best to keep it positive.

Which was why she was so angry with Bubbles earlier; his entire attitude and way of working seemed contrary to the founding laws of the Expedition Society; and yet, Ampharos allowed him to stay. Was it because they took pity on him? Of course, Swirlix would understand why, if that was the case; if she were in Bubbles' position, she'd be awfully upset too. She also had seen up close what Bubbles was like when he wasn't trying to bottle himself up; he was a nervous, crying wreck. She was worried that the wounds left in his heart wouldn't ever truly heal; but then again, when did they ever?

Swirlix turned a little, looking at Bubbles through the corner of her eye. She wondered just what was going on in his head; if he was dreaming about something...

Bubbles tried to move; but the vines held him in place; wrapped tight around his spindly frog limbs. He couldn't even open his mouth to scream; all he could do was sit and watch as she was whisked far away. He saw the light pour out from her body; like a sun climbing over the horizon at dawn; and at the same time, he saw her fade away; like the life draining away from a wilting rose. Slowly, the light began to rise into the air; deep into the clutches of a gaseous black cloud; between physical and ethereal form; with thorns extending outward in all directions.

But the dream didn't end. No, the repeating nightmare that Bubbles had experienced every night continued; and Bubbles found himself unable to wake. He began to feel another presence; one that exuded raw power; akin to that of a Nuclear Generator. It overwhelmed the vines that held him in place; and they loosened; dropping him to the ground; soil beneath the pads on his feet. Chills flowed down Bubbles' spine like a river; and with little else to do, he ran away; leaping from the hill. However, he found himself suspended in the air; the presence holding him there like a prop. It spoke.

"Was it you...?" asked the presence that had invaded Bubbles' dream. The voice was neither masculine nor feminine; and it consisted of a dull but dreadful monotone. Bubbles was too terrified to respond.

"...Who... awoke... me...?" the invader continued. Suddenly, the psychic forces on Bubbles body intensified; crushing him. The presence wanted a response.

"Who are you!?" Bubbles shouted; trying his hardest to muster up a little bravery. The psychic forces stopped; the presence must have been evaluating how to respond.

"I... was secluded in suspended animation..." said the presence; its voice echoing through Bubbles head over and over again. "Until you reappeared..."

"What?" Bubbles yelled, utterly bewildered. The presence dragged him back to the hill with the tree; dropping him on the ground. Bubbles felt the presence grow stronger; and he spotted something descending from the thorny clouds above him. It was tall; a good two meters high; and had pale, gray skin; with a slight purple hue. It also had a massive, bulbous purple tail; and a tube connecting its feline head to its back. And its eyes glowed an eerie, ice cold blue; but they also felt familiar to Bubbles; in an uncanny manner.

"I was lying in wait..." the Pokemon began, hovering down from the sky. "For Dark Matter to return..."

"Dark Matter..." parroted Bubbles, who was starting to connect the dots as too why he recognized the Pokemon in front of him.

"Bubbles... I know that name from an era long ago." said the Pokemon, landing in front of Bubbles. They easily towered above him.

"But..." Bubbles muttered, bewildered. What was going on?

"Bubbles... the truth is, I'm Mew."

Bubbles hurled forward; waking up in a freezing sweat. His muscles locked up tenser than a rivalry between a Zangoose and a Seviper. He breathed heavily; his lungs pumping oxygen like a spacecraft. And his eyes bulged out his sockets; and for the first time in a while, displayed proper Iris'; rather than the lines he used to mask his true emotions. Only one thought travelled through his mind:

What?!

Swirlix jumped; surprised by Bubbles' sudden awakening. Realizing Bubbles was in a great shock, she raced over to him; sitting down beside him to make sure he was alright.

"Mew... Mew...?" Mumbled Bubbles, utterly beside himself. Swirlix was unable to grab his attention; he was distracted; his eyes looking right through Swirlix; and at... something else.

"Bubbles!" Swirlix shouted; desperately trying to drag her friend back to reality. With little choice, she barrelled into him with a light attack; knocking him a little. This was enough to grab his attention; if just barely. Bubbles blinked; looking around for what had just hit him. Slowly getting a grip on himself; he took notice of his surroundings and remembered where he was.

"Bubbles, what was that? Did you have a nightmare?" asked Swirlix, now very worried for her friend. Bubbles nodded, before getting to his feet. He took another deep breath; his brain still a little fuzzy from what he had experienced.

"I... well, I guess I did...?" mumbled Bubbles, unsure of how to explain everything to Swirlix.

"You 'guess' you did?" replied Swirlix, raising an eyebrow at Bubbles' response. "You 'guess'!?"

"I-I don't know how to explain it, alright!?" snarled Bubbles, feeling accosted.

"C'mon, we've got to go save Mawile!" he shouted; before stomping off ahead. Not wanting to be left behind, Swirlix raced after him; quickly catching up. She decided to give up trying to extract information from Bubbles; it was clear he wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

Arriving on the 17th floor, the two adventurers were on edge. Their supplies were running quite low; they had no apples left, nor did they have any elixirs to restore their PP. They were also low on wands; only a single use of their slumber wands remained; and they had exhausted their petrify wands long ago.

"Not that much further..." Bubbles muttered; before turning a corner; entering the room ahead of them without bothering to check his surroundings. His brain was still fuzzy; and he was unable to focus at all on the task at hand; which was why he was caught off guard by the Bisharp charging at him from his side. Swirlix, realizing Bubbles couldn't see the enemy, made a bold decision, and swung a pounce wand behind them; at the wall in the opposite direction Bubbles was traveling. The two of them were dragged back towards the wall; Bubbles narrowly avoiding the enemy. Snapping out of his trance and realizing they were under attack, Bubbles fired a Water Pulse at his opponent. The Bisharp took the attack head on; before resuming its charge towards Bubbles. Swirlix realized it was going to use Night Slash; and dove into the Pokemon's path; take the not-very-effective attack for Bubbles. Appreciating the defence, Bubbles leapfrogged over Swirlix and unleashed another Water Pulse into the Bisharp's skull. Swirlix, taking her chance, let loose a Fairy Wind attack; finishing off the opponent. The Bisharp fell to its knees; glancing Swirlix in the eye before fainting.

"Bubbles, are you sure everything's okay?" asked Swirlix, begging in her head for Bubbles to tell her what was going on.

"I... I was just distracted." said Bubbles. "It won't happen again."

"I sure hope not..." mumbled Swirlix, following Bubbles into the next room; where they found the stairs. Bubbles didn't hesitate to race down them; not even bothering to do a routine check of his stock. Swirlix followed him; bumbling down the stairs. The wall's twisted around them as they did so; rearranging to form the next floor. Over time, Swirlix had noticed the dungeon change a little as they advanced down; the temperature had slowly risen; and the brick walls had slowly been replaced by smooth stone. They had obviously gone quite far under the ground; Swirlix wondered if there may have been magma nearby.

Bubbles and Swirlix left their starting room; and wandered down the halls in search of the staircase. After a few minutes, they managed to uncover the way down; and after a brief stock take, advanced forward.

Having finally arrived on the 19th floor after an uneventful 18th floor, Bubbles and Swirlix immediately set out to find Mawile's group. Swirlix pulled her expedition gadget out of her pocket and attempted to locate Mawile; whilst Bubbles observed their surroundings. The temperature had risen even further; at an exponential rate. Having just arrived from the Alqaramal a few days ago, Bubbles wasn't all that bothered; but he recognized that the floor they were on may very well have exposed magma around; which could be hazardous to them if they got too close. The walls had taken an odd shape; a hexagon pattern embedded into them with varying levels of carving; creating an uneven, chaotic shape.

After some brief fiddling with the Expedition Gadget; namely waving it in the air to get a better signal; Swirlix managed to pinpoint the location of Mawile's expedition gadget; it was to the southwest. Swirlix breathed a sigh of relief as she packed her Gadget in the bag; it was the first time she had tried to use that function; and she was worried she would mess it up. She noticed Bubbles examining the wall; and waddled over to deliver the information to him.

"Hey Bubbles, what are you looking at?" asked Swirlix, curious to see why the wall had him so interested. "You're beginning to look like Mawile there..."

"It's just, well, the pattern on the wall; it's nothing like I've ever seen..." said Bubbles, turning around to look at Swirlix. "This whole place is just downright unnerving..."

"Tell me about it." said Swirlix, turning around to get moving. "I can't wait to get out of here."

Bubbles and Swirlix ventured forth; traveling through the west exit of the room and wandering down the halls on the way to find Mawile. Bubbles kept his guard up; he had a feeling that there was still one last thing waiting for them in the dungeon. Sure enough, as they turned the corner and entered the room to the south, they found another enemy; one the satellite hadn't detected from the initial scan; a Persian. Just like it's Meowth relatives, this Persian also appeared to be a dark-type; having the same dark-gray fur and generally more rotund body. The enemy didn't notice them right away; and Bubbles chose to take advantage of this. Seeing as Mawile was in the next room over, Bubbles chose to swing their last Slumber Wand; putting the feline pokemon to sleep. With little time to waste, Bubbles and Swirlix unloaded what little PP they had left into the opponent; Bubbles firing off his last Water Pulse, and Swirlix her last Fairy Wind.

The Persian was thrown a couple feet from the force of the attacks. Bubbles slowly approached the enemy, checking to see if it was knocked out. Bubbles observed their enemy closely; before nodding and giving Swirlix a thumbs up; their opponent was defeated. With little time to spare, the two of them advanced forward; traveling through the hallway to the south in order to find the last room.

Jirachi yawned as he hovered down the stairwell; holding some files in his hands. He typically never got up this early; but there was a massive amount of research to be done. Namely, he had worked out why his Satellite had detected the colossal mysteriosity of the Panic Palace; or rather, why it had mistaken another signature for mysteriosity. The satellite had not been prepared to detect forms of energy other than that generated by ley lines; and yet, this mysterious new form of energy had been detected in massive levels by his device; causing it to log it down anyway. Jirachi was impressed by the genius of his own work; but also curious; what was this new form of energy? Was it powerful? And how could it be used? He wanted to extract as much information as possible from Mawile; if he ever got the chance.

Jirachi arrived at the bottom floor; and was turning to go to the dining hall when he noticed something was amiss. Buizel sat on the ground nearby; his back against the wall; and his mouth and eyes wide open. Confused, Jirachi wandered over to him.

"Buizel... what are you doing?" Jirachi asked, dumbfounded as to why his former colleague was in such odd circumstances.

"Jirachi... they got away..." Buizel mumbled, his eyes twitching as he salivated. "...They broke into my head... and ran..."

Jirachi's expression hardened. 'Broke into my head'? Buizel must have been attacked in the night; not a physical attack, mind, but something much worse; a psychic attack. Worried, Jirachi attempted to drag Buizel back to his bed; and give him some time to lie down; he was in dire need of medical attention.

Bubbles and Swirlix leaped into the room; ready for anything. They didn't spot any threats ahead of them; only their friends; lying on the ground with their backs to the wall; unconscious. Swirlix breathed a sigh of relief and advanced forward; her badge at the ready. Bubbles also sighed; and walked forward behind Swirlix; keeping his guard up. He hadn't spotted any threats in the room; the only thing there with them was the stairs down to the last level; but that didn't mean an enemy couldn't creep up on them at any moment. Thankfully, Swirlix made it to their friends before such a thing could happen. She used her badge to beam back Bunnelby and Archen first; before approaching Mawile, who was on the other side of the room, in order to do the same.

And that's when disaster struck. Bubbles felt his stomach churn as something else entered the room; not through the way they had came, but rather, by ripping open the open air ahead of them. Cracks of light formed; and then tore open; revealing another room through the portal. Something began to climb through the portal from the other side; something even more immensely powerful than the likes of Null or Entei. It was a colossal black pokemon; with a jagged, almost crystalline body that was somehow able to refract light. It had an enormous pair of arms; and a massive crystal emerging out of each. Its head was equally as large-

Before Bubbles could completely analyse the appearance of the creature, it tore through the hole and emerged into the room they stood in; towering over either of them. Swirlix screamed in both confusion and terror; leaping backwards. Bubbles was petrified; the sheer presence the monster ahead of them exuded felt like it was crushing him. Immediately, his scarf began to light up; but he found himself unable to transform. He felt thousands of voices in his head; all of them screaming the same thing at him; run. Bubbles briefly thought about this; before turning to look at Mawile; who was still unconscious. Knowing that he'd never forgive himself again if he messed this up, Bubbles lunged forward, his badge extended as he raced for Mawile. The new foe saw this coming from eons away; it jumped infront of Bubbles with incredible speed before batting him away like a bouncy ball. Bubbles flew through the air before crashing into the wall behind him; not knocked out, but certainly incapacitated for the time being.

The colossal entity turned to face Swirlix, who was cowering in the corner. Bubbles attempted to drag himself forward; but every muscle in his body ached tremendously. The towering alien stared down at the crying pokemon; and it began to make a noise; some kind of distorted, echoing laugh with a metallic sheen; as if the very sound itself cut through the air. Swirlix, cornered, saw no choice but to attack; and attempted to muster up all of the courage in its body; before rushing at the enemy, catching them off guard. Swirlix unleashed a potent endeavor attack; weakening their opponent to be on her level. Shocked, the enemy raced backward; and the crystals on its arms began to glow; as the light slowly was drained from the room. Not wanting to let up, Swirlix attempted to tackle the opponent again; but it swatted her aside with ease. The room then went pitch black; all the light having been eaten by the Pokemon. Bubbles was unable to see nor feel anything; all he could do was listen as Swirlix was battered around by the monster he had seen emerge in front of them. Her screams of horror and cries of pain froze Bubbles spine solid; but there was nothing he could do. However, Bubbles refused to accept this; feeling his adrenaline skyrocket as light burst forth from his scarf; illuminating the room. Bubbles briefly caught a glimpse of the enemy; backing away from Bubbles when it realised what was up.

Bubbles transformed in a flash; and with his restored PP, immediately unleashed a volley of Water Pulse's; tracking their opponent's movement with ease. Now that he was a Dark-Type himself, he was able to see quite a bit better in the unlit room; which made fighting far easier. However, their opponent, though initially caught off guard by the transformation, didn't seem all that bothered by Bubbles attacks; though they were able to push it back. Bubbles kept firing at the enemy whilst he turned to look at Swirlix; who still had a sliver of consciousness left.

"Swirlix, get Mawile out of here!" yelled Bubbles, knowing that she probably couldn't see him. Swirlix slowly rose to her feet and nodded; knowing just what was going on, before racing forward; traveling underneath the enemy to try and get to their unconscious ally. Making it there just in time, Swirlix held her badge right up against the unconscious Mawile; and beamed her away in a marvellous pillar of light. Without a moment to lose, Swirlix ripped open her pouch to try and use the escape orb; but before she got the chance, the other Pokemon tore open another rift; reaching through the gap in space to pluck the orb out of Swirlix's hand; before crushing it in their own.

Realising they had to finish the dungeon to escape, Bubbles thought fast; dashing forward to grab Swirlix; before running up the wall behind the opponent and leaping over them as they turned around; completely duping them. Bubbles raced for the staircase down; realizing the floor below them was the final one; and from there, they'd be able to warp out using their badges. The enemy Pokémon unleashed a Power Gem flurry; hurling glowing crystal towards Bubbles that could've easily lacerated him had he not avoided the attack. Racing down the stairwell, Bubbles managed to make it to the final floor; where a stone platform was suspended above a pool of magma, held up by thick metal chains. Broken shards of what looked like concrete were scattered about; and claw marks were embedded into the nearby hexagonal walls.

Bubbles let Swirlix down; who weakly pressed at the button on her badge; powering up the warp back. Realising it was going to take some time to charge; Bubbles prepared himself for another attack. Sure enough, the black, crystalline Pokemon tore open another wormhole; and entered the arena; hovering down from above them like some kind of deity. Realising that he had to stall for more time, Bubbles grabbed Swirlix and threw her to an outcrop on the wall; keeping her out of the enemy's range. Without a moment to lose, Bubbles fired an Ice Beam at the Pokemon; which it easily deflected before lunging at Bubbles, it's claws raised. Bubbles leaped out of the way of the attack; only to find himself entering a rift, falling from the air; and landing in front of his opponent. The enemy grabbed him; and began to crush him in its tight grasp. Bubbles felt his bones begin to crunch; the pain over him absolutely immense. In addition, he felt his energy draining away from him; and sure enough, he reverted back to his base form before being dropped on the ground. Once again unable to move, Bubbles was forced to watch as the huge Pokemon began to gather light in the big crystals on its arm; ready to fire a huge attack at him. Resigned to his fate, Bubbles head dropped to the floor. No matter how many voices in his head told him to move, he was incapable of any form of action.

Suddenly, another Pokemon entered the fray; teleporting into the room and grabbing Bubbles before warping him out of the direction of the colossal beam of light the enemy fired. The new ally dropped him on the outcrop he had thrown Swirlix before returning to the fight; charging up a Shadow Ball attack and firing it at the enemy. Bubbles recognized their ally immediately; it was the same Pokemon that had invaded his dream.

Mew kept up easily with their opponent; warping out of the way of its claws as it charged up Shadow Balls and flung them at the enemy. Their opponent seemed to be equally matched with them; being able to take the brunt of the blows and keep moving. The enemy pokemon, realizing Mew's mobility was its biggest advantage over them, clawed away at the wall; hurling stones all over the battlefield in a strategic Stealth Rock attack. However, this didn't bother Mew in the slightest; they were easily able to maneuver between the stones; being able to detect them from all angles with its strong psychic power. Enraged by this, Necrozma abandoned all subtlety and went on a rampage; hacking away the walls and throwing lava over the whole arena; before setting its sights on Bubbles once again. The enemy charged forward; claws outstretched, ready to hack apart the intruders; but Mew teleported in front of them and managed to block the attack; taking a heavy blow in the process. Realizing that their opponent wasn't going to let up, Mew teleported something in next to Bubbles; it was a black armband, with various engravings in it; and a large, purple crystal slotted into it. The enemy gazed at the accessory; and let out an ear-piercing scream; causing the whole cavern to rumble. It attempted to open a rift to steal the armband; but Bubbles snatched it and slipped it on before it could. Mew's voice projected into Bubbles head.

"Tap the crystal; and get ready to... pose."

Following his ally's instructions, Bubbles tapped the crystal on the top of his wrist; and felt a strange sensation overcome his body. He pulled his hands in front of his face, before raising them above it, looking like an absolute tool as brilliant streaks of light burst forth from his body; racing towards Mew and giving it a powerful, golden aura. Mew suddenly let out a massive cloak of darkness; covering the entire arena. Mew and the opponent stood opposite one another; in some sort of ruined graveyard. The other Pokemon attempted to retreat back; tearing open a rift when it realized what was happening. It was too slow however; a wave of dark energy emerged from Mew's feet; traveled across the ground to beneath where the enemy hovered; and a hoard of dark hands emerged from the evil aura; pulling the Pokemon into the ground. They were engulfed by the wave of attacks; and completely unable to escape. More and more hands piled on before they all exploded in unison; unleashing a colossal pillar of dark energy atop the enemy.

The dark battlefield then dissipated; returning them to where they were originally. The crystalline Pokemon layed down on the platform; seemingly incapacitated by the attack. Swirlix's badge began to glow; indicating it was ready to take them out of the dungeon. Mew teleported next to them, towering above them both. Bubbles was in awe of the raw power of the Pokemon that stood beside him; his mouth hanging agape in utter shock.

"Are you really... Mew?" Bubbles asked, practically unable to believe what he was seeing. Before the other Pokemon could answer, they heard a distorted, metallic roar; and their opponent began to hover back into the air. With little time to waste; Swirlix held her badge into the air, and all three of them were whisked out of the dungeon, leaving another enraged enemy behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Lapras waited on the shoreline; the sounds of distant waves crashing down miles away echoing through her ear drums. It was the only sound she could hear; that, and the whispers of the sea breeze blowing by. It was unnerving; and Lapras could only feel guilty; having brought another few Pokémon to such an awful dungeon. She turned her head into the air; gazing into the starlit sky. It was about 1 in the morning; Bubbles and Swirlix had been in the dungeon for what must have been almost 8 hours at this point. Lapras felt this nagging sensation in the back of her head; saying "They're long gone; just go home and forget about them."

She chose to ignore it. Bubbles had managed to make it through some terrifying situations before, or so she heard. To manage to escape the voidlands; she could never have done such a thing; even with the aid of a legendary Pokémon. Just as her mind began to wander, she heard something in the distance; a metallic screech; piercing her eardrums like an Aegislash's blade. She bowed her head in pain; and felt the air around her thinning. But just as quickly as the sensation came, it vanished; fading away like ripples in an ocean. Lapras looked up; scanning the shoreline; and spotted a group of Pokémon a fair distance away. Wondering if it was Bubbles' party, she swam over to investigate

—-

Bubbles stood there; desperately trying to catch his breath after the action that had unfolded around him. Exhausted, he fell to his knees; and then his face planted into the hard gravels beneath him. He didn't care how painful it was; he lacked the energy to even stand. Swirlix shared Bubbles' sentiment; also laying down. She knew it made it harder to catch her breath; but to be frank, she didn't care. Even Mew had to catch its breath; it had been a few months since it had to exert itself in such a way; and that was without using the full extent of its power. They had to sleep for a straight week after holding down the Tree of Life.

Bubbles slowly pushed himself back to his feet; blinking and taking a few deep breaths. After finally getting a grip on his surroundings, he worked up the courage to ask Mew a question.

"What the heck was that?!" Bubbles yelled, utterly bewildered. "And just who ARE you?!"

Mew kneeled down to Bubbles; trying to get on a level height with him. Bubbles felt a little offended. They scanned Bubbles from head to toe; observing his body language, facial expression, and most importantly, the level of damage he had sustained. Deeming Bubbles to be in a safe state, Mew saw that no healing action was necessary; and began to respond.

"I already explained your second question to you earlier; I am Mew." said Mew, their expression remaining rock hard. Swirlix overheard this and picked her head up.

"M-Mew?" she parroted, bewildered. "Does that mean you're-"

"No. I am not Bubbles' partner." Interrupted Mew; knowing what Swirlix was going to say. Bubbles looked to the floor; a little disappointed; but nonetheless confused. He had a good feeling the 'Mew' that stood ahead of him wasn't Lin; but he had hoped to be wrong all the same.

"As for your first question; that Pokémon we encountered is what I would guess to be an 'Ultra Beast'." continued Mew; their dull monotone echoing through Bubbles head. Bubbles had to admit; there was absolutely NO way this Pokémon could be connected to Lin; in fact, they were polar opposites.

"You say that like they know what that is." said Lapras; arriving on the scene just in time to hear Mew's explanation. Mew had felt Lapras approaching; and was not surprised to see her. They nodded their head; acknowledging Lapras' point.

"You raise a fair point." said Mew; looking back towards Bubbles. "Do you know what an Ultra Beast is?"

"I think I've heard the term before…" Mumbled Swirlix; trying to think back to where she had done so. Bubbles was completely lost.

"Perhaps Mawile spoke about them; it's mostly forgotten history these days." said Lapras. "I don't know much about them myself; but I've heard that they're Pokémon from other worlds…"

"Other worlds?" asked Bubbles, raising his brow. "As in, say, other universes?"

"No- but from planets so far from here they may as well be." said Mew, turning to look at Lapras. "You're the Ferry Pokémon, yes? It's time we go back."

"A-as you wish…" muttered Lapras, turning to let the group of Pokémon on her back. This new Pokémon they had found obviously didn't care for their Ps and Qs. Swirlix and Mew climbed aboard; whilst Bubbles briefly turned around; looking back inland. He had a bad feeling about that Ultra Beast; just what was it doing in the Panic Palace anyway? Was it responsible for the spike in Mysteriousity? He felt a small tug in his mind; Mew was obviously growing impatient. Figuring that it was best he got as far away from the black, crystalline Pokémon as possible, he leaped onto Lapras' back before they swiftly sailed away.

—-

Whilst at sea, Bubbles could only think of more and more questions for Mew; but made sure to space them apart, so as to not annoy his rescuer. They slowly gazed out over the ocean; watching the waves reflect the stars beaming down from the night sky. Bubbles reached into his bag and pulled out the expedition gadget; tapping away at it to try and get in contact with the HQ. It didn't take long for their call to connect; whereupon Bunnelby's face appeared on the Gadget's screen.

"Bubbles! Thank goodness your safe!" said Bunnelby; in a state of panic. "You need to get back here asap; somethings wrong with Buizel!"

"What?" said Bubbles, confused. Bubbles caught Mew visibly twitching out of the corner of his eye; but he payed it no mind.

"Look, I don't really understand it; but you need to hurry back before Liepard comes around to kick us out." said Bunnelby. "He specifically wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah; I got it." said Bubbles. "Catch you there."

Bunnelby cut the call from their end; and, figuring that enough time had passed, Bubbles began to pry into his new ally a little.

"So, why'd you come to help me?" asked Bubbles, figuring it was best to know just what Mew's goals were. He wanted to believe they were purely altruistic; but, well, the Pokémon really didn't look the part.

"When you returned to the world of Pokémon, I was reawoken from a suspended animation I had placed myself in about 2 years ago; to prepare for Dark Matter." said Mew; their gaze not diverting from the seas beside them. "After you and your partner dealt with the threat, I spent a good long time meditating on what purpose I served on this planet. I was unable to find an answer on my own…"

"So, you thought you would find one by traveling with me?" asked Bubbles.

"Indeed. Much of my memory of our past together has faded over 1000 years; all I can recall is that we were partners, and your name certainly wasn't Bubbles." said Mew. Bubbles bit his lip; he hadn't always gone by such a dumb name; but Nuzleaf had given it to him, and Lin found it absolutely hilarious… so he was stuck with it. He'd gotten used to it though; heck, he forgot his real name sometimes. He made sure to keep it jotted down in his notes after it forgetting it once; and regularly checked it to remind himself.

"So, wait, you and Bubbles were… partners?" asked Swirlix, a little confused. "But you aren't… Lin?"

"No. I am the Mew that aided Bubbles prior to his venture to the future." said Mew, nodding. "Lin is the product of my soul being placed in another body."

"…sorry, I think I need to hear that again." said Swirlix. "So you and Lin… have the same soul?"

"Had the same soul." said Mew. "I gave mine up so that Lin could be born and sent to the future."

"What do you mean by soul?" asked Bubbles, not understanding the terms Mew was using. If he had given up his soul… why was he standing in front of them?

"We're almost there." said Lapras, informing the group of their travel status. "We'll probably be departing in five minutes.

"We'll discuss this when we get back to the HQ." said Bubbles, feeling as if he needed to rest his head a little. He then realized that they lacked a HQ; as he spotted the first cracks of dawn over the horizon. Gloom befell his heart; the Expedition Society was now over; and from henceforth, he was working on his own.

Swirlix spotted this, and approached Bubbles, patting him on the back. His spirits raised, if only a little; and he realized that he still had all the friends he had made since he had arrived in the world of Pokémon alongside him. No matter what, he was going to see this through; and he was going to find Lin. He kept telling himself that, has he marvelled at the rising sun as it illuminated the sea ahead of him a brilliant, scorching orange; burning just as hot as the renewed hope in his heart.

Bubbles was back.

—-

They stood there; motionless; mind lost in thought; contemplating the upcoming trial. They hadn't wanted to persecute Yveltal; but the other legendaries were practically frothing at the mouth; demanding justice for the crimes that Yveltal had committed; regardless if they were truly responsible. They took a deep sigh; not feeling ready to judge the coming case.

There was not another single being for a several miles radius; which, too be frank, was how Arceus preferred things. Call them a loner; but he simply wasn't much for company; why else would he rest his laurels on a 99-floor tower? It's not like they lacked the time for such things; they were simply tired. Tired of being treated like a god. They had created this world to seek companionship; and yet, they were simply driven away by the unending brown-nosing of its inhabitants.

Standing there; eyes gazing out far into the horizon, he heard it; a high-pitched scream; one of anger and madness. Their muscles twitched; they recognized it from eons long since passed.

"…How?" they thought; contemplating this odd turn of events. The dungeon they had sealed the invader in was not supposed to have opened; the ley-lines were never supposed to intersect in such a spot. Unless…

"Xerneas." uttered Arceus; their voice projecting into the Life Pokémon's mind. He waited patiently for a response; receiving one a few moments later.

"Arceus? I suppose you heard it too?" asked Xerneas, curious to know if their fellow legendary Pokémon had heard the horrific screech. Xerneas had never heard it before; and this worried them greatly.

"Indeed. I seek audience with one of your voices of life." replied Arceus. "The one involved with the Bittercold incident."

—-

Bubbles, Swirlix, and Mewtwo hastily disembarked from Lapras; before gathering to discuss their plans going forward.

"I'm going to grab my stuff and chat with Xatu before leaving." said Bubbles, his eyes shut as he pondered his plans. "I'll probably set up an office in Serene Village; and then begin my own independent investigation on Lin from there."

"Well, you sound like you've got it better thought out than I do…" mumbled Swirlix. "I was probably going to work part-time at Cafe Connection, but, well…"

Swirlix trailed off, a little embarrassed to admit she was afraid she wouldn't be able to control her appetite without something like the Expedition Society to keep her in line.

"Look, the Kangaskhan here is pretty tough; she'll surely be able to whip you into shape." said Bubbles. "She certainly tries to give me an earful every time I walk in…"

"You have a good point…" mumbled Swirlix, thinking, before coming to a conclusion and nodding. "I think I'll work there for a while and put some money in my pocket. Anyway, let's get going."

Bubbles turned around to leave; before stopping, realizing Mew wasn't following them. He walked over to the enigmatic Pokémon; curious as to why they were hesitating.

"I'm not sure if I should show my face around here…" said Mew, a tiny hint of caution within their eyes. "I'll catch up with you once you've got your things."

"Wait, why?" Bubbles asked, but it was too late. Mew had already warped away; leaving behind nothing indicating they were even there in the first place. Bubbles sighed and caught up with Swirlix as they approached the old HQ.

As they passed through the town, Bubbles noticed something odd was afoot. Townspeople shot them glances; but quickly averted their gaze when Bubbles looked back at them. Everybody seemed to move out of the way for them; and barely even greeted them with hello's and goodbyes.

"What's going on?" thought Bubbles; concerned that something was amiss. Swirlix noticed it too; clearly something had happened to change the public's perception of them. Worried, the two of them hastened their pace; before arriving at the headquarters. Archen was waiting for them outside.

"You finally made it; c'mon, you need to see Buizel…" said Archen. "He's not in a good state."

Bubbles and Swirlix entered the building behind Archen; and followed them to Xatu's room; where they spotted Buizel drifting in and out of consciousness; laying atop a bed of straw. Beside him were Xatu, Jirachi, Ampharos, and Dedenne; inspecting his health.

"Good to see you back in one piece, Bubbles." said Ampharos, looking a little glum. "A shame that you had to come back to this mess…"

"What's happening?" asked Bubbles, worried. He stepped forward; inspecting Buizel closely. His mouth hung open, as he moaned in pain from whatever ailed him. His eyes sat wide open; like that of a bug. And his muscles twitched uncontrollable; as if he had lost control of his own body.

"It's the result of an incredibly powerful psychic attack on Buizel's body." said Xatu. "His attacker wanted information from his spirit; and choose the most brutal, direct way to get there."

"I'm going to pretend I understood that." said Bubbles, before kneeling beside Buizel. "Buizel, you said you wanted to see me?"

"It… wanted you, Bubbles…" said Buizel. "My attacker… they wanted to know… where you were…"

"What did they look like?" asked Archen, walking up to Buizel's side. Buizel was obviously trying his hardest to answer.

"Pale… with a massive purple tail."

Bubbles froze; a chill rushing down his spine as he immediately recognized the Pokémon that Buizel was describing. No wonder Mew hadn't wanted to come to town. But what was he supposed to do now? Mew had wanted Bubbles location not to hurt him, but to help him; but in trying to get that information, seriously harmed Buizel.

"Is he ever going to get better?" asked Dedenne, worried for her friend. Xatu stood there, thinking, before answering.

"I can repair the damage done to his brain and spirit; with the aid of another psychic type; like Jirachi." said Xatu. "But it will take some time; more time than we have here."

"Indeed." said another Pokémon, entering behind them. Bubbles turned around; spotting the intruder; or should he say, landowner; for it was Liepard who chose to pry.

"I hate to say this; but I'm afraid that, even with a sick Pokémon, none of you are allowed to remain on this land any longer." said Liepard. "Unless you have the funds to purchase it?"

Bubbles glared at her; feeling a fierce anger burning within his heart. She infuriated him; and the fact she deliberately chose to act in such a demented manner despite the actions of beings like Dark Matter proved that she was also a complete idiot. However; just as Bubbles gave her the evil eye; he felt another one sizing him up from somewhere. Intimidated, Bubbles relaxed himself; but the terrifying presence didn't disappear. Was this Liepard's 'enforcer'?

"Yes, we'll all be taking our leave from here." said Ampharos; waving his arm to usher the others out of the room; before picking up Buizel with his stubby little arms. Noticing that Ampharos was struggling; Xatu easily lifted Buizel telekinetically; carrying them out of the room themselves.

"It's been a pleasure, Ms. Liepard." said Ampharos; bowing his head before leaving. This wasn't a show of respect; sarcasm and loathing dripped from every word he uttered at his former benefactor. He felt betrayed; and utterly humiliated in front of his loyal friends. But alas, he had no choice; he couldn't risk Buizel getting hurt if he chose to battle Liepard's enforcer. He didn't have any proof; but he did have a solid theory as to what kind of Pokémon it was; and while he didn't fear many Pokémon, this one… unnerved him.

When Bubbles left the headquarters with his bag of things, he spotted Mawile waiting around in the shade outside. She had a small box of things to carry; some notes, books; but it wasn't nearly everything she had in her library. She looked a little glum; and let out a small sigh upon spotting Bubbles.

"Glad to see you made it out alright." said Mawile; walking over to him. "We were caught off guard by…"

"That crystalline Pokémon?" said Bubbles, curious. "Yeah, he almost got us too; but we made it out in time.

"You used an escape orb, right?" said Mawile, curious to know how Bubbles evaded the monster. "It managed to snatch ours."

"It got ours too; we had to go to the final floor; and Swirlix used her badge to warp us out." replied Bubble; shrugging. "I don't plan on going back there anytime soon…"

"That makes two of us," said Mawile; her expression growing even more glum. "It's a shame; I wanted to take a closer look at all those ruins…"

Mawile took notice of something on Bubbles' wrist; and her eyes widened.

"That's a… Z-Power Ring…" said Mawile, in awe of Bubbles accessory. "Where did you find that!?"

"Oh, this?" said Bubbles, caught a little off guard by Mawile's tone. "Yeah, I, uh, found it… on the bottom floor."

"R-Really!?" shouted Mawile. Bubbles' cheeks started to go a little red; Mawile didn't act like this often.

"I thought these were all destroyed with the passing of time…" said Mawile, grabbing at Bubbles wrist and twisting it to examine the Z-Power Ring in detail. "It's said that if you use them in combination with a Z-Crystal, you can enhance an attack used by another Pokémon…"

"When you say Z-Crystal, do you mean… this?" said Bubbles, pulling the purple gemstone that had been embedded into the Z-Power Ring from his bag. Mawile's eyes practically began to shine.

"L-Let me see that!" she shouted, reaching forward and snatching it from Bubbles' hand. She twisted and turned the small gemstone inside of her palm; seeing how the light reflected from it; and gazing into the small insignia within it.

"Ghostium Z…" Mawile mumbled, in awe of Bubbles' discoveries. He had to admit; had he not seen the power of his Z-Power Ring firsthand, he would have thought that Mawile was overreacting. However, after having used it, Bubbles felt a little bit in awe himself.

"Z Crystals like this are incredibly rare; I've only seen one in person before…" Said Mawile. "…would you mind if I held onto this?"

"Er, well, sorry, but yes." stammered Bubbles, shaking his head. "I would mind."

Mawile sighed in dejection; and handed Bubbles' Z-Crystal back. Just as she did; Jirachi came rushing out of the building; carrying his expedition gadget; which was making a high-pitched sound.

"It was somewhere around… AHA!" Jirachi shouted, pointing his expedition gadget at Bubbles. Confused, Bubbles pointed at himself; but Jirachi was too focused on his device. He slowly moved closer to Bubbles; and as he did, the pitch of noise emitting from his Expedition Gadget grew higher. He stopped just before he ran into Bubbles.

"It's… coming off you?" said Jirachi, confused. Bubbles raised an eyebrow.

"Er… what are you doing?" asked Bubbles, backing away from Jirachi slightly. Jirachi looked at his Expedition Gadget, before responding to Bubbles question.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story; turns out that the spike of energy we detected from the Panic Palace wasn't completely mysteriousity;" said Jirachi. "It seems like there was another source of energy that my satellite detected, and it mistook it for mysteriousity."

"And now it's on me…?" said Bubbles, tilting his head.

"Seems so; or at least traces of it are…" said Jirachi, tweaking at his device. "Seems like some of the energy must have rubbed off on you…"

"Is it on me?" asked Mawile, raising an eyebrow. Jirachi waved his gadget at her; trying to pick up a trace of the energy; but it seemed to not have clung to her.

"Nope, sorry. Nothing…" said Jirachi. "Maybe it was only on the bottom floor?"

Bubbles stood there, closing his eyes as he thought back to his adventure. He had an idea of how he picked up the energy; but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions just yet.

—-

Not long after Bubbles exited the building, the other members of the society slowly joined them outside; soon, the courtyard was filled to the brim with Pokémon. Xatu was the last to leave; carrying Buizel alongside him. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Ampharos cleared his throat before speaking to the rest of them.

"…I understand that it must be hard, leaving all of this behind." said Ampharos, looking up at his former HQ. "We have all worked to the bone trying to solve the mysteries of the world; and now that we've done so, we've had the curtain pulled out from under our legs."

Ampharos looked back out towards his friends; and he felt his heart sink. What was he supposed to do? He had thought he was the marvellous chief of the expedition society; but now he found himself unable to bear the weight of trying to live up to the expectations of those he worked alongside. Taking a deep breath, he continued speaking.

"But just because we've lost our home doesn't mean our connections; our friendships and rivalries." Ampharos continued, raising up his spirits. "We may go our separate ways; but as long as we have these expedition gadgets, and these connection orbs, we'll always be within arm's reach of each other."

The crowd that had assembled stood silently for a moment or two; before Bubbles took the initiative and started to clap. Instinctively, the other members of the society joined in; erupting into a thunderous applause that resonated across the entire town. Ampharos blushed a little; before regaining his confidence and striking his trademarked dashing pose. Liepard observed the events from within the building; before mumbling something and walking away from the window. As the applause died down, the various members of the society mingled for a moment before parting.

"So, Xatu, where were thinking of heading to?" asked Bubbles, curious to know the seer's plans going forward. "With Null wandering around…"

"I was going to find a place to safely operate on Buizel." said Xatu. "I doubt that the city will be such place; too much hustle and bustle to distract me."

"You could come with me to Serene Village; it's pretty calm there." said Bubbles.

"Ah, yes…" said Xatu, tilting his head up to think. "I saw it in my vision; you consider it home, no?"

"Yeah, you could say that…" said Bubbles, rubbing the back of his head. "Closest thing I have to one, really."

Slowly, as the minutes clocked by, more and more members of the society parted ways and left to find their own fortunes. Archen traveled to Kōngqì Dàlù; hoping to teach himself how to fly, and to become just a little more assertive. Meanwhile, Bunnelby chose to go to Alqaramal; wanting to find out more about the rich history of the continent; and more importantly, help the citizens of Sahra Town deal with Null's attacks. Dedenne traveled to the continent of mist, Ceornag; to go and catch up with her family; who she hadn't seen in person for quite some time. Jirachi had express permission from Liepard to continue his work as an independent researcher; mostly because she didn't know how she could move all of his equipment out of the building. As she promised, Swirlix went to go and find a job at Cafe Connection; leaving Ampharos and Mawile as the last ones to leave.

—-

"Well Bubbles, I suppose this is where we part ways once again." said Ampharos; ready to board Lapras alongside Mawile. "Don't hesitate to get in contact with any of us if you need help; I'll be sure to provide it."

"And don't worry too much; I'm sure you'll find a way to make things right." said Mawile, nodding. "Don't go putting yourself down, just because you might not be the strongest or smartest Pokémon."

"Yeah, it's just…" Bubbles mumbled, before picking up spirits and giving a determined nod. "Don't worry; I made myself a promise months ago to find her; and I'm going to keep it."

"That's the spirit!" said Ampharos; patting Bubbles on the shoulder before turning his back to climb aboard Lapras. Bubbles and Xatu waved as the two of them sailed away; before cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting to them.

"Good luck!" he yelled, his voice cracking just a little from the intensity of his roar. His cheeks went red briefly; before he took a deep breath and relaxed himself. Ampharos brought his arms to his face as well; and responded to Bubbles encouragement.

"Give it your all out there!"

—-

Bubbles sighed, not out of sadness or disappointment, but in relief; his spirits in good form as he walked towards the exit of Lively Town. Xatu followed closely behind him; Buizel in tow; who was now soundly asleep. Bubbles was relieved; he didn't want to have to put up with moaning and groaning the whole trip back. Eventually, the two of them made it to the town gate; where they discussed their plans.

"There's two dungeons on the way to Serene Village from here; Gentle Slope Cave and Uprise Range." Explained Bubbles. "They're not that tough; and we should be able to make it past one before the sun sets; if we're efficient."

"Even with Buizel in tow?" asked Xatu, tilting his head.

"Well, I think we'll have some help." said Bubbles, thinking back to what Mew said. He gritted his teeth when he realized that Mew may not show themselves if Buizel was around; but then figured that as long as they were asleep, they'd be comfortable.

"From whom?" Xatu asked, now even more confused. Bubbles stood there, thinking about what to say.

"An old friend of mine." said Bubbles. "They aren't one for the city; so they'll join us on the road."

"…I see." said Xatu, his eyes squinting in doubt of Bubbles' statements. It was obvious that Bubbles wasn't telling the whole truth; but Xatu figured that there wasn't much reason for him to lie either, so he decided to follow along with him for now.

Bubbles and Xatu left the town; and advanced up the hill leading to Gentle slope cave; not exchanging many words on the way there. Eventually, they reached the mouth of the cave; where Xatu stopped. Bubbles turned around to look at them.

"Shouldn't your friend have joined us by now?" asked Xatu, wondering where said 'friend' was. Bubbles didn't respond, wondering just where Mew was himself. Right on cue, Mew appeared right in-between the two of them; looking down on Xatu; whom they also towered over. Xatu backed away; caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Mew. They certainly hadn't foreseen this!

"Y-you!" Xatu shouted, raising his wings to guard himself. He recognized the Pokémon in front of him from Bubbles' past. He also recognized it from Buizel's description. The feathers on his body ruffled up in self-defence; and he instantly projected a psychic barrier around himself to protect himself from the other Pokémon.

"Xatu, don't worry!" said Bubbles, stressed and caught off guard by Xatu's reaction. "This Pokémon; Mew, they saved my life!"

"Mew!?" Xatu shouted, his brow furrowing. "You have been LIED to, Bubbles!"

Mew gritted their teeth. They didn't need this; not right now.

"This Pokémon may have been Mew 1000 years ago," said Xatu, his voice visibly stressed. "But all that remains of them is this soulless shell!"

"Well, I mean, that's rude." said Bubbles, now a little cross. "Just because they aren't one for conversation doesn't mean they're soulless."

"No." said Mew, shaking their head. "He's right; I lied to you, and as I said earlier, I lack a soul."

"Oh… right." said Bubbles. "But why? Why would you-"

"Would you rather be called Bubbles… Or Bubbles-two?" said Mewtwo, shaking their head. "Don't answer that."

"And you knew about this Pokémon?" said Xatu, a hint of anger in his tone. "You do realize that they were the one that-"

"Attacked Buizel?" said Bubbles. Mewtwo clenched one of their fists.

"I wished to aid Bubbles, and they wouldn't tell me where he was." said Mewtwo. "And seeing as I saved Bubbles' life, everything balances out."

"Does it?" said Xatu, scowling at Mewtwo. They stood there, not exchanging words for a moment or two. Xatu turned to Bubbles.

"I understand that you owe them your life, but you have to understand; everything about this Pokémon…" said Xatu, looking back towards Mewtwo before stopping. He clenched his beak shut; he was unsure of how to judge the situation. "…Let's just go to Serene Village."

"Wait, can't you just… teleport us there?" asked Bubbles, confused. Xatu shook their head.

"I myself cannot take myself such a long distance, let alone four Pokémon." Said Xatu. "And the tool I used to bring us here, the Teleport Gem… it will take some time to recharge."

"…I see." said Bubbles, frowning. "I suppose we'll have to go the long way then…"

—-

As they entered Gentle Slope Cave, Bubbles felt his stomach churn once again. The walls twisted around them, eventually forming another maze for them to navigate. The walls consisted of cold, light brown rock; and small patches of moss and weeds grew from the floor and ceiling. Moisture dripped from the roof above them; making a chilling 'plop' when it hit the floor. Bubbles remembered struggling a little on the first time he ventured through the dungeon; but this time, he was born ready.

The first floor was nothing of interest; no enemy Pokémon even bothered to confront them. The second floor saw a little more action; namely, there was a resting Golurk in the room with the stairs. Bubbles briefly considered tiptoeing around it; but realized that they were sat in the direct path of the stairs. Sighing, Bubbles decided to confront the powerful Pokémon.

"Mewtwo, get to his left; Xatu, stick back." said Bubbles. "Swing a wand if everything goes south."

Mewtwo slowly hovered over to the left of the Pokémon; and waved to Bubbles when he was ready.

"On zero…" mumbled Bubbles, before holding up his hand; dropping each finger in time with an internal countdown. Upon dropping his last finger, he unleashed a potent Water Pulse from his hands; smacking the resting enemy right in the head with a powerful surge of liquid. Immediately, the enemy Pokémon awoke; and began to line up a punch on Bubbles, when Mewtwo fired off a Shadow Ball into the Pokémon's back. Knocked out in a single hit, the Golurk fell to the floor. Xatu wasn't surprised by the sheer strength Mewtwo held; if his vision was correct, then they wouldn't even have to strain themselves to unleash powerful moves like Psychic; something that even Xatu had to focus to accomplish.

Their journey through the dungeon was mostly uninterrupted; Bubbles barely had to chew at an apple before they arrived at the 8th floor. Most of the Pokémon they encountered were swiftly dealt with by Mewtwo; blasting them apart with ludicrously powerful Shadow Balls and Psychics. Bubbles was able to observe a few things about how Mewtwo fought in this time; namely, the level of sheer ferocity in which they battled. In dire contrast to his mood, Mewtwo's movements in battle were swift, suddenly, and unpredictable; save for the fact that they generally tried to move towards their opponent; whilst also keeping a safe distance away from their attacks. In addition, Mewtwo had an advantage similar to Bubbles when he transformed; namely, being able to attack relentlessly as if it was second nature. Did all legendary Pokémon have this power? Or was it just another extraordinary thing about Mewtwo?

As they ascended the stairs on the eighth floor, Bubbles felt his hunger recede; a sign that they were exiting the dungeon. Sure enough, they emerged from the cave unscathed; and surrounded by pitch black. The sky above them was dotted with all sorts of stars; but the moon was absent; obscured by the shadow of the planet. Bubbles outstretched his arms to warn his companions.

"Be careful; if I remember correctly, we're standing on a pretty sheer cliff." said Bubbles, looking over his shoulder to the others.

"That doesn't present a problem." said Mewtwo. "I can float."

"And I can fly." said Xatu. "…To be honest, the only one in danger is you."

"R-right…" said Bubbles, sighing in embarrassment. At this point, his protectiveness was becoming an embarrassing habit; especially since he was being protective of Pokémon that were far stronger than he was.

—-

Mewtwo slammed the two rocks together with incredible force using his telekinesis; generating a burst of sparks which proceeded to ignite the small campfire they had prepared. Warm, inviting light shone forth from the pile of sticks; a welcome change from the chilling autumn air around them. Bubbles briefly stretched and sat down in front of the crackling embers; before looking up and gazing at the stars above him. The sky was filled with tiny lights; far more than Bubbles could ever count. It reminded him of the night he sneaked away from the village with Lin; back when he thought life was going to be a lot simpler.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" said Xatu; his eyes gazing out into the limitless void. "Without the sun nor the moon to provide me my visions, I can get a better grasp on the present."

"The sun or the moon?" asked Bubbles, confused. "You mean you can also use the moon to see the future?"

"Indeed so." said Xatu, turning to look at Bubbles. "With the aid of Solgaleo or Lunaala, I can catch glimpses of what lies beyond the veil of the present."

"…Solgaleo and Lunaala?" parroted Bubbles; furrowing his brow.

"I am not surprised you haven't heard of them; much of their existence is shrouded in myth…" said Xatu. "They are a pair of legendary psychic types; husband and wife, in fact; and are capable of piercing the boundaries between space and time…"

"…So, they can travel to other universes?" questioned Bubbles, folding his arms. He wondered if they could take him back to the Human World… or mayhaps, back in time; to before Lin disappeared…

"Not quite." said Mewtwo, chiming in to provide some information. Xatu briefly glared at them; annoyed at being interrupted.

"If my memory serves me well, they have the ability to open Ultra Wormholes; which they can travel through to reach new locations light years away." continued Mewtwo; folding their legs whilst hovering over the ground. "They wouldn't be able to take you back to your home world."

"Did you read my mind?" asked Bubbles, genuinely curious to know if Mewtwo had actually done such a thing.

"You would know if I did." said Mewtwo; lying back to sleep whilst hovering in the air.

Bubbles sat there, pondering about Mewtwo for a little while. Knowing that he'd been lied to, Bubbles felt his trust begin to wane. Just how much of what they told him was true? Had Bubbles only trusted them out of the fact that he believed they could be related to Mew?

"Xatu… I wanted to ask you about Mewtwo." said Bubbles, turning to the psychic. "Can you tell me more about them?"

"What is there to know?" asked Xatu, shrugging their shoulders. "You fought together to stop Dark Matter, and failed. A plan was devised to ensure that Dark Matter would be defeated come the future; Mew would rip out its soul and create a new Pokémon from it to send to the future alongside you."

"But what do you mean by 'soul'?" asked Bubbles, shaking his head. "Is Mewtwo just a shambling corpse?"

"Far from it." said Xatu, before sighing. "I had hoped that a lesson on spirituality could wait, but I suppose I could give you a short explanation."

"We Pokémon consist of three important components;" said Xatu, gazing up into the night sky. "Our bodies; the flesh and bones that we interact with our surroundings with, our sources of willpower, are one of those things."

Xatu turned to look at Buizel; who was resting on the ground close to the fire.

"But there is much more to us than just our bodies; for our memories and knowledge come from a part of us called our spirit." said Xatu. "The Pokémon that spawn within Mystery Dungeon's often lack spirit; but particularly strong ones can develop one in response to an encounter with a being with a spirit of their own."

"(Null's recruitment strategy…)" thought Bubbles, remembering what he had heard in Sahra Town.

"And finally, there is the third part of us…" said Xatu, turning to look at Mewtwo. "The soul; the source of our emotions; compassion, and empathy."

"So Mewtwo discarded his emotions to make Lin?" said Bubbles. "But then, where did Lin's body and soul come from?"

"I suspect that those are objects of Xerneas' creation; perhaps with aide from the lake trio…" said Xatu. "Everything related to Lin's soul, spirit, and body was likely deliberately manipulated to create a Pokémon that would choose to accept Dark Matter…"

"And once her role was done…" mumbled Bubbles, connecting the dots.

"She was no longer needed." said Xatu. "But while the body may be always changing, souls and spirits are far more durable."

"So, we can bring her back?" asked Bubbles, a light shining in the depths of his eyes.

"Perhaps." said Xatu. "But I cannot be certain; the future isn't set in stone, after all…"

—-

"Entercards?" parroted Hydreigon, gazing up at the divine Pokémon that stood before him. Their very skin seemed to glow; and it both held and lacked a decisive shape; as if it were made from clouds. The only part of them that held a distinctive shade was the golden ring wrapped around their torso; which glimmered like the sun.

"Indeed; we believe that a Pokémon has deliberately altered the ley-lines to open a Mystery Dungeon where one should have never formed." said Arceus; their voice echoing through Hydreigon's eardrums like an orchestra.

"I haven't used the Entercards myself, no…" said Hydreigon, shaking their head. "But I know several Pokémon that have."

"Seek them out; for this is a matter of dire importance." said Arceus, turning away to look over the horizon.

For the first time in their life, they felt their heart begin to pound.

—-

Bubbles sat their; eyes slowly flickering open as he found himself on their old meeting spot. Wind passed through the trees; producing a calming rustling and light whistle. The grass beneath his feet was soft to the touch; akin to that of a bed. He turned to his right; and saw his partner standing their; their skin beginning to fade away into particles of light.

Bubbles sighed; realizing that he was once again having the same dream as before. Having grown tired of the visions constant repetition, Bubbles turned away from his partner; more than aware of the dark shadows that would engulf them seconds later.

"…Bubbles…" she said. He lifted his head. Oh, how he had longed to hear her voice! His heart began to pound; he realized that no, this was not the same dream as before.

"Why didn't you try?" she asked. "Try to stop me?"

—-

Dawn cracked over the horizon; piercing Bubbles' eyelids and awakening him from his rest. His eyes hurled themselves open in response to the light; but as they did, they felt as if they couldn't lift their own weight. Taking a few deep breaths, Bubbles pulled himself into the present; his mind racing as he recalled the events of his dream. His heart began to sink to depths of earth as he remembered the haunting words she spoke to him; his arms drooping like wet noodles and his legs beginning to collapse beneath him. Thankfully, Mewtwo swooped in to balance Bubbles before he tumbled off the edge.

"Is something wrong?" they asked; kneeling to try and analyse the issues that Bubbles seemed to be experiencing.

"…No, it's nothing." said Bubbles, slowly getting his bearings. "C'mon; let's get going; there's another dungeon ahead before we get to Serene Village."

Bubbles suddenly lost his focus once again; thankfuly falling backwards away from the edge. Mewtwo, detecting an enemy, dove infront of an attack from above Bubbles; however, the Ghost-Typed Shadow Ball dealt significant damage to them. His guard broken, another shadow ball flew towards them; prompting Mewtwo to grab Bubbles and teleport a few meters away. Xatu, aware of the situation, looked around for the attacking enemy; but was unable to spot them with his eyes. Instead, he looked directly towards the rising sun; catching a brief glimpse of the future. Prediciting where the next Shadow Ball would come from, Xatu let loose its wings and gathered his focus; turning his attention to the wind; before swinging his limbs to fire a potent Air Slash. Sure enough, the attack struck the target dead on; unveiling their enemy; a Mismagius.

Spotting the opponent, Mewtwo charged at it; its expression stone cold as it closed the gap between them. Panicking, the enemy teleported away; before crossing the boundaries of the Mystery Dungeon; disappearing from view. Bubbles growled under his breath; annoyed they couldn't interrogate their opponent; and raced ahead, intending to catch their attacker. Mewtwo followed close behind them; whilst Xatu picked up Buizel and maintained some distance; trying to ensure he was not harmed in the conflict.

—-

Racing through across the cliffs that made up the Sheer Mountain Range; Bubbles tried to keep their opponent within sight at all times; cutting corners to try and make up as much time as possible. Sadly, his target was capable of flying; and thus, ignored all of the obstacles in Bubbles' way. Mewtwo also tried to give chase; but had to regularly stop to avoid Shadow Balls that Mismagius hurled behind themselves. After pursuing their opponent for several floors, Bubbles and Mewtwo arrived at a wider part of the cliffside; seeing their enemy stopping just ahead of them to catch their breath. Mewtwo teleported behind Mismagius; trapping her between them.

"Tch… Persistent, aren't you…?" She said, gritting her teeth. Her voice, whilst feminine, lacked grace; akin to that of a grouchy mother than that of an elegant witch. "Aggron… Where are you…!?"

Just as Mismagius grumbled the question, a brilliant burst of orange light poured out from the ground in front of Bubbles. Slowly, something titanic rose out of the gateway to infinity; a towering, steel-rock typed Pokémon with a deadly horn on its head. Bubbles backed away from the titanic Aggron; which glared down towards him with murderous intent in its eyes.

"Sorry to keep to waiting, Ma'am." said Aggron, tossing a small box it held towards Mismagius. The ghost-type caught it before warping out of the way of Mewtwo's Shadow Ball attack; venturing away into the closing orange portal to escape her opponents. Mewtwo clenched its fist; and directed their attention towards the massive enemy approaching Bubbles.

"To think, someone so small could threaten the fair lady…" growled Aggron; before leaping towards Bubbles, intending to crush him. Bubbles barely managed to roll out of the way of Aggron's attack before trying to counterattack; but before he could fire his Water Pulse, the Aggron had already risen to their feet and was charging him again. Caught off guard whilst preparing his move, Bubbles was unable to dodge in time; instead trying to push Aggron away from him as they Heavy Slammed him with all their might. It was an exercise in futility; Bubbles felt himself being crushed beneath the weight of the Iron Armor Pokémon.

Mewtwo winced as they saw Aggron use its Heavy Slam on Bubbles; realizing that there was no way he'd be able to withstand such an attack. However, before Mewtwo got the chance to attack Aggron in revenge; they caught glimpse of light shimmering from beneath them. Sure enough; Aggron was slowly lifted into the air; Bubbles in his evolved states forced to push them up with all four of his limbs. Mewtwo rushed in and placed one hand on Bubbles before teleporting away; only to do a double take when Bubbles didn't teleport with them. Mewtwo slammed the palm of its hand against its face when they realised Bubbles was now a dark-type; and immune to Psychic-Type attacks.

Instead, Mewtwo opted to use a psychic attack on Aggron instead; lifting them up just enough for Bubbles to escape out from under them. Bubbles took a few hops; and dusted himself down a little before assuming a prepared stance.

"Thanks for the help." He said; before dodging out of the way of another one of Aggron's Heavy Slams. Realizing that their current strategy was getting them nowhere, Aggron changed up their tactics; reeling around to try and hit Mewtwo with an incredibly deadly Head Smash attack. This was successful; Mewtwo not expecting the powerful Rock-Typed move to collide with him at such a high speed. Mewtwo as hurled back a significant distance by the attack; the sheer force of it sending him across the entire floor. Bubbles, seeing this, hatched up a plan on how to defeat Aggron.

Xatu arrived not a moment later; with Buizel in tow beside him. Seeing the fight breaking out, Xatu choose to keep his distance; namely out of fear of Aggron's powerful rock moves. Bubbles continued to avoid Aggron's attacks; more cautious of his opponents unexpected speed. Enraged that he couldn't catch up to Bubbles, Aggron stomped the ground; hurling up small stones to create a Stealth Rock attack. His movement limited; Bubbles was almost struck head on by his opponent; and had Xatu not intervened with a Defog attack to clear the clandestine cobbles, Bubbles would have likely been knocked over the edge. Mewtwo teleported over to Bubbles side.

"He's not letting up…" Muttered Mewtwo; teleporting out of the way of Aggron's next Head Smash.

"The we shouldn't either!" yelled Bubbles, before motioning for Xatu to approach. Xatu carefully moved towards the battle; trying to stay out of the range of the enemy.

"Xatu, you think you can hold this guy!?" shouted Bubbles; leaping into the air above Aggron before landing on their head. Aggron shook itself viciously; desperately trying to remove Bubbles from it.

"I'll try!" Xatu shouted; before focusing its mind on Aggron with powerful intensity. Aggron felt its limbs seize up; and began to sweat in fear when it realised that Xatu was telekinetically holding it still. Bubbles and Mewtwo regrouped; standing behind their opponent.

"Z-move?"

"Z-move."

Bubbles tapped the Ghostium Z on his wrist; before letting his sick dance moves fly as Z-Power burst forth from his body. Mewtwo let the energy engulf him; before letting loose another terrible wave of dark energy from its body; trapping Aggron in a mass of ghostly hands; and then finally letting all of the apparitions explode at once; shooting their enemy straight into the air. Bubbles turned to walk away from their opponent as they fell into the ravine below them; likely to not escape the dungeon for a long time.

Bubbles' scarf deactivated; and he returned to his diminutive form once again. Xatu approached him.

"Who was that?" Xatu asked; not having seen this opponent in his visions. "Were they an ally of that Mismagius?"

"I believe so." said Mewtwo, teleporting over. "It emerged from this… orange portal, that opened in the ground…"

"Orange portal… A Magnagate?" mused Xatu, before looking into the sun to try and glimpse the past events. Sure enough; he saw the Magnagate opening; and Aggron emerging from it, before handing Mismagius a small box.

"What's a Magnagate?" asked Bubbles, confused. Mewtwo nodded; sharing Bubbles' confusion.

"It's a portal of sorts; an attempt by normal Pokémon to try an open an Ultra Wormhole like Solgaleo and Lunaala." said Xatu. "It doesn't have nearly the range that an Ultra Wormhole would however; and the ley-lines have to be manipulated to achieve its desired effect."

"Ley-lines… Jirachi used to go on about those; saying that when they intersect, they create a Mystery Dungeon." mumbled Bubbles, placing a hand on his chin.

"Indeed." Said Xatu. "Some Pokémon would use artefacts called Entercards to bend the ley-lines and create Magnagates; but such things are rare treasures nowadays…"

—-

Bubbles felt the wind lick against his moist skin as they passed through the gateway to Serene Village; arriving in the main square in good condition. Small groups of Pokémon chatted with each other; discussing their quaint lives. Having not seen the village in the autumn before, Bubbles was taken aback by the stunning, fiery oranges, yellows, and reds that decorated the landscape; and remembered why he had developed such a fondness for the quiet little hovel. In the distance, he spotted Lombre and Hippopotas having some discussion.

"Wéll, if eet isn't Bubbuhls!" said Hippopotas; turning to see him enter the town. His expression immediately turned grim and terrified when they spotted Mewtwo.

"And 'is… Nu friénd…" mumbled Hippopotas, paralysed in terror. Mewtwo sighed; and teleported away; not wanting to deal with lynch mobs this early in the morning. Lombre walked over to Bubbles.

"Who the heck was that?" asked Lombre, crossing their arms. "Were they a friend of yours?"

"You could say that…" Muttered Bubbles. "They're not that sociable."

"I can see why…" mumbled Lombre, before looking at Xatu and Buizel.

"You brought along a whole entourage, didn't you?" asked Lombre. "Who's the Buizel you're carrying around?"

"He is… was, a friend work." said Bubbles. "Now he's just a friend."

"Ouch; that's rough." said Lombre, folding their arms and looking to the ground. "I heard the society was going under…"

"This Pokémon is in need of a place to rest their head." Said Xatu, walking forward. "He's in dire condition."

"You'd best tak 'im to la schoul zén." said Hippotomas, shaking off the cold sweat that seeing Mewtwo had given him. "I'm sure lady audino weehl allow 'im to rést 'is 'ead zere."

"The schools that way; to the north." said Bubbles, pointing in the general direction to the facility. "I can guide you there, if you want."

"Lead the way then." said Xatu.

—-

As Bubbles and Xatu moved briskly towards the school, Bubbles recalled his fond memories of when he would talk to Lin on the way to and from school. Hearing about her dreams for the future always warmed his heart; and he found she would always listen to him if he had to get something off his chest. Whether or not she would really care was a different matter. Bubbles sighed took a deep breath; trying to push past the happy, yet painful memories of the past. Xatu noticed this; and looked to him with one eye.

"You'll be pleased to know that I made some headway on the vision I had." said Xatu.

"What did you find out?" asked Bubbles; before his attention was drawn elsewhere; as he heard laughter in the distance. He squinted; and spotted a group of familiar faces farther up the road; Goomy, Espurr, and Deerling.

"Is that… Bubbles!" shouted Goomy; racing ahead to meet with his old friend. Deerling and Espurr raced behind him.

"Bubbles!" said Deerling, sounding concerned. "We heard about what happened; with the society…"

"I'll be fine." said Bubbles folding his arms. "I'll probably farm some berries or something… If everything doesn't go to plan."

"What plan?" asked Espurr, curious as to what Bubbles meant. "Are you going do independent expeditions?

"Well… maybe." said Bubbles. "I still have to have a chat with Xatu here."

"Oh!" said Deerling, turning to look at Xatu. "Sorry for my ignorance, sir! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"It's fine." said Xatu, bowing his head. "It's pleasure to meet you too."

"Oh, Espurr, that reminds me." said Bubbles. "Mind if you could accompany us back to school for a minute?"

"Sure- but why?" asked Espurr, tilting her head.

—-

"Well, that should do it…" said Audino, finishing up Buizel's bed. Xatu dropped him into the pile of straw; and he bounded up before landing snugly into the soft bed of hay.

"So we're going to try to fix his head?" said Espurr, looking concerned. "I've communicated using my psychic powers before… but pried into Pokémon's minds…"

"I'll guide you through it." said Xatu. "Think of it like surgery; all I need is an extra pair of hands…"

"Will you two need anything else?" asked Audino, pressing her hands together. "I'm happy to help any way I can!"

"No thank you; not for now." said Xatu, before turning to Bubbles. "But before we begin, I should tell you about what I saw…"

"Go to the southeast; to Cespedinente." said Xatu, turning to look out the window. "Seek out a dungeon called Mystery Jungle; there, you will find the reborn Mew."

"The 'reborn' Mew?" parroted Bubbles, before shrugging. Realising the potential gravity of Xatu words, Bubbles eyes suddenly began to glimmer. He then bowed his head in respect.

"T-Thank you, Xatu!" said Bubbles, before turning to leave; rushing out the front door. Audino chuckled.

"That's probably the first time I've ever seen him so happy!" she said.

"He has every right to be." said Xatu, before sighing. "But whether or not he gets what he wants is another matter entirely…"


	5. Special Episode 1: Going Underground

It was gone. All of it. Charred canvas was lifted into the air around him as he emerged from the ground below; witnessing the aftermath of Null's arrival. Dust filled the air; blocking out his view; the remains of a Sandstorm called upon by one of Null's twisted followers. He coughed and hacked as he pulled himself out of the earth; and gazed around, scouting the surrounding area. The air was cold; and the breeze was howling. The ground beneath was scorched; roasted by the Heat Wave attacks of Null's Volcarona squadron. He lifted his ear towards the sky; listening out for movement. At first, he heard nothing; but then the faint echoes of pained moans travelled through the dust towards him. Without wasting a moment, he leaped forward; bounding towards the source of the noise. The moans became clearer; and he realized that mixed in with said moans were sobbing and cries for help.

She saw him approach; a short, slightly stout figure, with large ears. She couldn't recognize him; a mixture of dust and tears blocking her vision. She was partially buried into the earth; unable to pull herself out on her own. She heard him calling out to her; saying that it was going to be alright. She felt the lower half of her body begin to go numb, and she slumped over to her side; unable to lift herself up. He was right in front of her now; shouting about how she was going to live. He kneeled down, and began pawing away at the dirt around her.

She slumped forward, having fallen unconscious, likely from dehydration and hysteria. She was a Salandit; and was probably barely younger than him; maybe even older. He clawed away the dirt and scooped her body into his arms, carrying her back towards his hole, when he heard something else move nearby. It's stomping echoed through the air around them; and while he knew that he hadn't been seen, it was only a matter of time. He heard it began to laugh.

"Come on out!" It chortled, before he heard the blasting of a Flamethrower; followed by a guttural shout.

"WHERE ARE YOU!?" It screamed, in between roars of utter rage.

He was close to the hole now; only a few meters; but he was worried that he would be seen by whatever horrible Pokemon was rounding up the stragglers. Taking a chance, he dashed forward, leaping right into the hole, smoothly sliding down the tunnels into his shelter. He hadn't been spotted; much to his relief. Landing with a small thud, he walked forward; arriving into the company of several other Pokemon hiding with him; a Mienshao, a Staravia, and a Heatmor.

"You got one." said Mienshao, walking forward and inspecting the unconscious Salandit. "She's in dire need of an Oran Berry."

"Here, I always keep one in case of an emergency." said Staravia, handing the small Blue berry forward. Mienshao slipped it into the Salandit's mouth; and he witnessed the bruises on her body slowly begin to heal.

"Did you see any others out there Bunnelby?" asked Staravia. "She couldn't be the only one…"

Bunnelby looked to the ground, trying to fight back the tears.

"She was the only one I saw." he mumbled, before looking back up.

"But there's another Pokemon here; I think it's one of Null's goons; here to clean up after him."

"Darn it…" murmured Mienshao, looking away, and furrowing his brow. "We need to make a plan then; one to get us out of here."

"We're not going to go after them?" asked Staravia, looking at Mienshao. "All my friends… my family…"

"Don't be idiotic." Grumbled Heatmor, who had remained silent until that point. Staravia let out a muted squawk as she glared at him.

"It's suicide. He has a small army; compared to our small group of what, four? Maybe five Pokemon." Heatmor continued. "We never stood a chance with a town full of Pokemon."

"Bunnelby, what do you suggest we do?" asked Mienshao, turning to look at the former member of the Expedition Society. "I want to avenge Sahra town, but I don't think there's anything we can do…"

"…No, I think we can do something." said Bunnelby, regaining his composure and pulling out his expedition gadget. He tapped a few buttons; and loaded up the map application.

"Where's Null's base?" Bunnelby asked, panning around the northern edge of Alqaramal. Heatmor glanced over Bunnelby's shoulder.

"It's right there." he said, pointing to a small speck on the map. Bunnelby zoomed in on the spot; and saw the full extents of Null's headquarters. It was practically a small town; houses and tents set up for every member of his private army. There were some farms a short distance away; but judging from the signs in place, they were solely for growing reviver and blast seeds. Several watchtowers were set up; and at the time the satellite had taken the photo, were manned by about 2 Pokemon each. Null's home was the largest; a stone fort decorated with banners depicting his iconic helmet. Bunnelby got a good look at the map, before switching applications to his digital notepad.

"The plan's this," said Bunnelby, taking a deep breath and gathering his thoughts. "I'm going to tunnel under Null's base; and sneak into his fortress. I'll then gather as much information as I can as to his plans, and leak it out to everyone; Rescue Teams, Exploration Teams, Guilds, you name it."

"Painting a massive target on him…" mumbled Mienshao. "That's a bold plan; but if it's a stealth mission, then I suppose we stand a chance…"

"Count me in." said Staravia, ruffling her feathers. "I want to see that freak's helmet in tiny pieces."

"…I'd only get in your way." said Heatmor, thinking. "I'm going to get this Salandit to safety."

"…I suppose one of us had to do that." mumbled Bunnelby, a little embarrassed. "You're a more noble Pokemon than I am."

"Nobility?" chuckled Heatmor, before glaring at Bunnelby. "I just don't care for fighting these days, kiddo. I've had enough conflict and stress."

"Anyway, our first order of business should be sneaking past that sweeper." said Mienshao, placing his hand on his chin. "Could you dig a tunnel to the end of town?"

"It'll take some time; but I can do it." said Bunnelby, nodding his head with a look of fierce determination plastered on his face.

—-

Bunnelby fiercely clawed away at the wall, tossing aside dirt as he bored the tunnel to the edge of town. His mind was racing; and his heart was burning. He had one goal; see that Null payed for their crimes; and while he knew that he stood no chance against them in direct combat, he had other means to deal significant damage to him. If he could just get all this information to Ampharos and Mawile…

"Hey, Bunnelby, I think that Salandit you rescued is waking up." said Mienshao, looking behind them. Sure enough, the Toxic Lizard pokemon was slowly beginning to regain their consciousness, stretching themselves out in Heatmor's arms.

"Ugh… where…" they mumbled, looking around. Realizing they were underground, she squirmed out of Heatmor's grasp to inspect her surroundings. The cavern was dimly lit; the only source of light being produced by a torch carried by Mienshao.

"Is this a bunker?" asked Salandit, shifting her head back and forth. "Who are you guys?"

"We're just like you; survivors from Null's raid on Sahra Town." Explained Staravia. "Bunnelby found you and brought you to our bunker."

"Bunnelby..?" Salandit mumbled, looking ahead to see him digging away. She smirked.

"So, he's the hero, huh?" she mumbled. She attempted to saunter forward, but stumbled, still dizzy from hunger.

"Hey, don't push it, alright?" said Staravia. "C'mon, we've been grabbing whatever food we can find from up above."

Staravia led Salandit over to a box of food, filled with berries and apples of assorted flavours. Salandit salivated at the sight; and dove in, filling her mouth with food. Staravia blocked her own vision with her feathers.

"Gah! Show some manners!" She exclaimed, a croaky squawk leaving her beak. Salandit emerged from the crate, peaking her head out from the pile of food. Her lips were stained blue from the Oran Berries.

"S-sorry!" said Salandit, squeezing out of the pile of food. "I was starving to death; and my mother always told me that I had to eat a lot if I wanted to evolve!"

"Just… don't make so much noise…" Staravia grumbled.

—-

Exhausted, Bunnelby stumbled away from the wall, estimating that he had dug about halfway across town. It had taken him about an hour to accomplish such a task; and he needed to get some rest before continuing, lest his arms fall off. He fell flat on his face in front of the now half-full crate of food; before getting a nudge on his arm. He looked up to see Salandit poking him with her tail.

"I don't think I got to thank you saving me yet." said Salandit, smiling as she tilted her head. "So, thanks!"

"Heheh… d-don't mention it." said Bunnelby, trying his best to act cool. He wasn't used to getting so much praise.

"…Huh." Mumbled Salandit, before thinking to herself. "…So, everyone's telling me you plan on sneaking into Null's base."

"Yeah. We want to get our hands on his plans and leak them all over the world." replied Bunnelby. "It won't be easy, but well, being a hero is never easy."

"A Hero!" Salandit exclaimed, smirking. "My my, you are a bold one."

"Brave AND Bold." said Bunnelby, pointing towards himself, trying to supress a blush. This was the first time he's ever been called brave; so he was going to relish in it. "And don't you forget it!"

—-

His energy restored after a short nap, Bunnelby continued to tunnel away, making good headway on getting to the end of town. Meanwhile, the other survivors got to formulating a plan.

"If I'm guessing correctly, the floor of Null's fortress will be made from metal." said Mienshao, point to the leader's fort. "Heatmor could burn through it, but…"

"Not in a million years." Said Heatmor. "You'll have to sneak in from outside the base."

"That's was my other plan." Replied Mienshao, turning up his nose. "And try not to interrupt."

Bunnelby turned an ear to listen in on the conversation.

"The encampment is strategically positioned; it's atop a natural plateau, and combined with four watchtowers in every direction, approaching from anywhere but underground is a bad idea." said Mienshao, drawing out a map using the soil below them.

"So, we dig up inside the camp; like, in a tent or something, right?" said Staravia, rubbing her wing on her chin. "What's the closest tent to Null's fort?"

"Not the closest; but the one that gives us the safest route there without being seen." said Mienshao, pointing to a small tent on the edge of the camp. "The tent's closest to Null's fort are strategically placed; you can't leave them without being placed in a direct sight line. But if we dig up in this tent, we can exit it without being put at risk."

"What's our route for getting to the fort, then?" asked Staravia.

"That's the hard part." said Mienshao. "Judging from what I witnessed during the raid, every member of Null's squadron wears a small badge; shaped like the protrusions on his sinister facade."

"So we get out hands on some of those badges?" asked Staravia. "Doesn't seem so hard."

"Don't jump to conclusions." mumbled Mienshao. "Any attempts to start a fight will grab unwanted attention; we'll have to swipe those badges whilst nobody's looking. Even then, we have to do our best to simultaneously fit in whilst also rushing to the fort before our theft is reported."

"Ugh… this seems like a nightmare…" mumbled Staravia. "What about when we're in the fort?"

"We can't get a map of the inside of the fort, so it's hard to say." said Mienshao. "Bunnelby should set his gadget to be recording everything before we go in; as we wouldn't be able to take it out around the guards."

"What have you got in terms of supplies?" Asked Heatmor, raising an eyebrow. "Because I doubt you'd be able to sneak in without wands or something."

"Well, we have an Escape Orb; but I've never used one outside a dungeon before, so I have no idea if it will work." said Mienshao, shrugging his shoulders. "We also have a pounce wand, and, if push comes to shove, a Blast Seed."

"That's not a lot…" mumbled Heatmor, looking away before closing his eyes and sighing. "I'm telling you guys, you really shouldn't do this…"

"Sounds like a great plan!" said Salandit, chipper as ever. "I'm in!"

"Come again?" said Mienshao, furrowing his brow. "A-are you sure about that? It's dangerous work…"

"I know that, but I also want to help!" shouted Salandit. "I- We have to get back at Null somehow!"

"I understand how you feel, Salandit, but-" Mienshao was interrupted.

"Eureka!" said Bunnelby, turning around to look at the group after managing to break the surface; emerging just outside the town gates.

"Excellent work!" said Mienshao, clapping his hands in praise. "I hope that fiendish sweeper isn't leaving right about now…"

"So, I guess this is where our road splits." said Heatmor, crawling out of the hole to have a look at their surroundings. With the coast clear, he waved to rest of them, and they slowly squeezed out of their hiding space.

"So, you're real adamant on not going, huh?" asked Salandit, questioning Heatmor's moral compass.

"It's not like I approve of what this Null's doing." said Heatmor. "But I've lived to see my fair share of crisis; the Meteor, the Bittercold… and that Dark Matter. All this awful stuff just keeps coming and coming. So what's the point in trying to fight back?"

"…What a cowardly outlook on life." mumbled Staravia, hiding her words and a glare behind her wing; pretending to be cleaning it.

"Well, we can't force you to go." said Bunnelby. "But if you are going, be sure to spread the news."

"Fair enough…" mumbled Heatmor, turning his back to walk towards the closest shore. "Least I could do for you giving me a place to stay."

Slowly, Heatmor wandered away; his mind drifting between regret and conviction. He wanted to tell them it was pointless; that Null would crush them all, and that they were just going to throw their lives away. But he knew that they wouldn't listen to him; they were young, and thought they had something to prove. Prove what? How tough they were? That they have a moral high-ground over a heartless criminal? That their sense of pride is larger than their sense of reason?

Heatmor sighed as continued his trek towards the closest shoreline not guarded by Null's goons.

—-

The air around them chilled them to their very core; forcing them to carry lit torches and wear heavy cloaks made from the tents in town, lest they say a frosty farewell to each other. The wind blow with ferocious intensity; grains of sand hurling through the air, slamming against their bodies like minuscule bullet seeds, and forcing them to squint their eyes lest they go blind. The moon hovered high above them; glowing with a near fluorescent orange; as if it was warning them of the dangers ahead.

"Bunnelby, it's practically pitch black!" Yelled Mienshao, trying to project his voice over the raging sandstorm. "We need to make shelter immediately!"

"We need to find a cave or something; the ground here is too soft to dig a shelter!" yelled back Bunnelby, scanning the horizon to try and find some semblance of an overhand to rest under. Staravia struggled to keep up; her legs not suited to walking on the sand. She wasn't able to take flight either; the weather wasn't going to let her get away with that. Salandit had it the best; she was small enough to be scooped up in Mienshao's arms; where it was nice and warm. Mienshao initially objected to this; but after Salandit leaped onto his back, he figured she was light enough that complaining about it would be pathetic.

Bunnelby's ears perked up when he noticed something in the distance.

"There!" he shouted, picking up the pace and bounding ahead. Mienshao picked up the pace; but Staravia was unable to move any quicker. She let out a weak squack, and Mienshao turned around. Salandit furrowed her brow slightly as Mienshao went back, and scooped up Staravia in his arms as well; practically shoving the Toxic Lizard Pokemon into his armpit.

Bunnelby approached the target of his interest with great anticipation; it was only a small overhand; but it blocked the wind and had a small amount of shade for them to rest under when morning approached. He pulled out his pouch and set down a bundle of stick he had salvaged from Sahra town, arranging them into a pile before tossing his torch onto his campfire to set it alight. Brilliant warm flames burst forth from the pile of foliage; and Bunnelby sighed in relief, sitting down to appreciate the warming embers. Mienshao approached, and spotted the fire, prompting him to relax his shoulders let Staravia down.

"Thank goodness, I felt like my legs were going to give up on me…" mumbled Staravia, settling down next the the fire and pulling her cloak over herself to keep warm. Mienshao sat down as well; folding his legs up and placing his hands in his lap. Salandit crawled out from his grasp, and let out a mighty yawn.

"Jeez, I'm SUPER tired!" she said whilst stretching out her jaw. "What have we got lined up for dinner?"

"More berries, you lazy scoundrel." Mumbled Mienshao, pulling out an oran berry and tossing it to the hungry Pokemon. Salandit bowed her head.

"Thank you!" she said, before digging into the berry. Mienshao couldn't decide whether to appreciate her thanks, or scowl at her gluttony and sloth. He decided to focus his attention elsewhere; namely, Bunnelby.

"So, you were a member of the Expedition Society." said Mienshao.

"Were?" said Bunnelby, raising an eyebrow. "The Society may lack funding, but as long as we work to solve mysteries and help others, then it still exists!"

"What I wanted to ask is why you came all the way out here." said Mienshao, shaking his head.

"Well…" Bunnelby stopped to think. "Truth be told, I came here to stop Null, or at least slow him down."

"On your own?" said Mienshao. "I'd hate to sound like Heatmor, but you'd never be able to accomplish much…"

Bunnelby's expression drooped, and he glumly turned to gaze at the floor.

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that…" mumbled Bunnelby's. "Everyone says that."

Bunnelby sighed. Salandit looked over to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Why the long face, Mr. Hero?" she asked, still chewing on her oran berry. Bunnelby chuckled.

"It's funny you say that; I've never been a big hero." Bunnelby mumbled. "I've always been the weakest member of the Expedition Society. When those two came along, the new kids; I thought I'd be able to show them the ropes, feel a little important. And there they go, just evolving with their fancy scarves and saving the world and all that. Not that I mind, but… I was the first one to fall, y'know, in the voidlands… I let everyone down then, like I always do…"

"You didn't let me down!" said Salandit, her eyes widening. She raced over to try and cheer up Bunnelby, but he simply rolled over onto his side; turning his back to her.

"Get some rest; we're going to need to move a lot in the morning." mumbled Bunnelby as he drifted off into sleep.

Salandit turned to look at the raging flames of their campfire; her mind adrift with various thoughts. There was one that she kept coming back to, no matter how hard she tried to focus on other things.

"What are you thinking about, Salandit?" asked Staravia, curious to know what she was staring at the fire for.

"…It reminds me of what they stole…" she muttered, the reality of her situation beginning to set in. "…The flames…"

—-

Slowly, the burning hot sun peeked over the horizon, casting raging streaks of flaming oranges across the sky. Staravia was the first to wake; her eyelids shooting open the instant the sunlight came into contact with them. The sandstorm having subsided, she took to the sky; scouting the land around them for potential threats. In the distance, she spotted their target; Null's base, positioned atop the natural plateau that Mienshao had mentioned. Four watchtowers stood around it; one for every compass direction. She was too far away to make out any minute details; but nonetheless she cursed under her breath. One way or another, she was going to make that masked fiend pay.

She swooped back down, landing by the still burning but weak fire, and nudged on Bunnelby gently in an attempt to wake him. He yet out a small yawn and stretched himself out before slowly pushing himself up; blinking heavily to try and get his bearings. Slowly, the others began to wake; first Mienshao, with a heavy yawn and a roll onto his side before begrudgingly rising, and finally Salandit, who rose to her feet with surprisingly little fanfare.

"Null's base isn't that far; if we dig from here, we'll be able to get there before lunchtime." Said Staravia.

"I'll get right to it; after breakfast, of course." said Bunnelby, his stomach rumbling with a powerful bass line.

Mienshao cracked his pouch open; and handed an oran berry to everyone before glancing down into the bag. His expression drooped.

"We're out." he mumbled, slinging the bag back over his shoulder. "Guess I'll go without…"

"No, don't worry, we'll split." said Bunnelby, tearing his berry in two and handing one half of it to Mienshao. He gladly accepted the offer; eating through the berry rather quickly. Immediately after this, Bunnelby began to pace around, checking around the stone overhang.

"Hey, Bunnelby, aren't you going to-" Salandit was cut off.

"I'm surveying to see if it's safe." said Bunnelby, glancing to and fro. "If I'm not careful, I could bring this whole overhang down atop of us."

"Well, safety first…" mumbled Salandit, meandering around their campsite with nothing to focus her mind on. Eventually, Bunnelby concluded that the overhang was safe to dig under; and began to bore away at the stone; initially digging down before advancing north towards Null's headquarters. The earth in the far end of the desert was harder to dig through; more akin to solid rock than the softer soils around Sahra Town. He continued to dig for what felt like an eternity; until Mienshao finally called out to him.

"Bunnelby, if this gadget is right, we should be directly underneath Null's base." Said Mienshao, pointing to the screen. "If you start digging up and to the east, we should break ground under the safe tent.

Bunnelby nodded, and followed Mienshao's directions, tunneling slightly upward and to the east. Sure enough; the ground above them broke open; and revealed the insides of a tent. On Bunnelby's signal, Salandit, the fastest and shortest of them, scurried out, looking around for enemies. Thankfully, the tent was devoid of hostile life; and she motioned for the other 3 to come out.

The tent was made of a thick but translucent brown fabric; and was large enough to fit them all with plenty of room to spare. There were three piles of hay in the room; as well as a small chest in the back. Bunnelby carefully approached it and pried it open; trying his best to not make a sound. Within it were some rags and berries; but no forms of identification. Bunnelby sighed but swiped the berries from the chest before returning to their hole; making sure to try and obscure the fact they had dug it in the first place.

"Well, here's the next part of the plan; we eat lunch, then take an early nap and wake up in the middle of night." Said Bunnelby, handing out the berries to the other members of his little squad.

"And snatch them up while their sleeping…" mumbled Staravia. "Delightfully dark of you."

—-

The night was deadly quiet; with the guard patrols careful to not make a sound. This was one of Null's chief strategies; if anything were to make a sound, the guards would know that it was likely to be an intruder. Bunnelby slowly emerged from the tunnel and scanned the room. It's inhabitants; two Growlithes and a Houndoom, were fast asleep; and their badges were stacked up on the ground nearby; right in front of Houndoom's nose. Bunnelby gulped and ducked back into the hole.

"Salandit, you're up." He whispered, moving to the side and allowing her to climb out. She crept towards the badges; moving with subtly and stealth. Eventually, she made it to the pile; and swiped the badge atop the tower. She slowly brought it back to hole and handed it to Bunnelby before turning around to grab the second.

Houndoom snorted, and then sneezed, spraying mucus over the remaining badges. He didn't wake, but he had nonetheless managed to absolutely gross Salandit out. She grumbled in her head but chose to grab the second badge; the mucus sticking to her digits like glue. She had to resist the urge to vomit.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Salandit delivered all three badges to the gang. Mienshao, in disgust, rubbed his badge on the ground and then his cloak before donning it; and noticing this, Staravia did the same.

"Salandit, you sneak under Mienshao's coat, alright?" said Bunnelby. "We don't have a badge for you, but we'll let you know when the coast is clear."

"Just don't fall backwards…" she mumbled, creeping into Mienshao's cloak. He proceeded to lightly chuckle, before placing his hand over his mouth.

"That… tickles…" he whispered, before climbing out of the tunnel with the others.

Outside, the camp was shrouded in darkness, lit only by the torches held by the guards; bulky Darmanitan's with fierce intolerances for intruders. Slowly, they crept around to the back of the tents; staying in the blind spot that Mienshao had mapped out and creeping towards Null's fortress while doing so.

The fort was absolutely colossal; easily taking up half the size of the camp. It was four stories tall; and sure enough, the bottom floor was reinforced with tough metal. Out the front of the base stood two guards; a pair of vigilant Houndoom. Bunnelby turned his head towards Mienshao and nodded.

"Alright, Salandit, we need you to act as a decoy." whispered Mienshao; letting the Toxic Lizard pokemon slip out of his cloak and creep forward. She turned around to look at Bunnelby briefly; looking worried; before sighing and rushing ahead; briefly entering and then passing through the guards' line of site. The two Houndoom immediately barked; and raced after her; surprised and curious as to what raced past them. While their backs were turned, the remaining trio crept past the Houndoom and entered the fortress.

Upon entry, the trio briskly sneaked towards the staircase to get away from the guards; arriving on the second floor rather quickly. The fortress was almost larger on the inside than it was the outside. It consisted of four floors surrounding a central open shaft. The bottom floor appeared to be a workshop of some sorts; all sorts of benches and tools scattered about. Various Pokemon were at work, with balls and chains strapped to their legs to restrict their movement. Staravia recognized some of them from Sahra Town. She had to restrain herself from losing her temper.

The first floor, meanwhile, appeared to be a break area; with a few tables and chairs, and foods and water set aside. The Pokemon on this floor didn't appear to have been forced workers, but rather, guards and other officials. The trio all took a deep breath and tried their best to act natural as they moved to the second floor. Several of the guards shot them odd looks, but nobody raised a finger.

The second floor appeared to be an administrative floor; with maps, notes and all sorts of salvaged tech strewn about and hanging on the walls. With nobody else around, Bunnelby figured that it would be safe to pull out his Expedition Gadget and start recording; taking pictures of all the documents.

Just as he finished taking pictures of the first half of the room however, Staravia began to peck at his shoulder. Bunnelby turned around, and laid witness to something he didn't want to see; a guard ascending the staircase. He quickly stuffed his gadget into his pouch and the three of them began to act as if they were discussing something pertaining to guarding.

"So, you guys see anyone off lately?" asked Bunnelby, trying to sound tough. He peeked over Staravia's shoulder to see the encroaching guard; it was a Magmortar; towering above all of them and glowing like a fireball. He stomped up the staircase like a moving corpse; he had obviously had a long day.

"Hey, you guys okay taking my shift?" asked Magmortar, looking over to the group. "I just got back from clean-up and need to have a chat with the boss."

"Sure thing." Said Bunnelby. The Magmortar grinned and moved ahead; ascending the stairs to the third and final floor. Mienshao grumbled under his breath.

"Great. Now we have to wait for him to come down." he whispered. Bunnelby turned to look at him.

"Not necessarily… in fact, I'd rather not have to face Null now…" mumbled Bunnelby. "Let's finish up here for now."

Bunnelby once again got out his Expedition Gadget and began to record all the plans he could. Eventually, he reached the end of the room; and quickly set everything he had recorded to upload to Jirachi's satellite storage; so that the others could access it later. The speeds were slow; but seeing as they were done there, that didn't seem to matter. Bunnelby turned to leave; but froze when he came face-to-face with the very embodiment of all his fears.

"Does that play video too?" Null asked, having crept up behind them.

His synthetic voice rung through the trio's heads; its booming weight shaking them to the core. He towered over all of them; staring down on Bunnelby like a disappointing parent. The dim orange light bounced off his mask and illuminate the startled Pokémon's face.

"I should've figured that there'd be some backlash." Null grumbled, slowly inching forward. "You should be thankful; were I not a Pokémon of my word, I'd have broken you by now."

"What word!?" Bunnelby yelped; trying to sound tough. Null's expression didn't change as Salandit crawled out from behind him; her expression looking glum. Staravia shrieked in anger; and Mienshao had to restrain her from lashing out. He didn't look to pleased himself.

"YOU TRAITOR! YOU WITCH!" Staravia roared, squirming in Mienshao's grasp, practically salivating in pure rage.

"Traitor?" Null mumbled, before chuckling to himself. "No, you fool, Salandit is the most loyal one here. We cut a deal, you see; she offered me critical information on what you planned to do, and in exchange, I agreed to free all the Pokémon we seized from Sahra Town."

Bunnelby turned to look at Salandit, his eyes wide open. She nodded her head; her eyes drooping.

"I can't go without labourers if I want to fulfil my order; so I'm going to keep you all alive and working… for now." Null mumbled, tapping his claw on his chin. "Once my contract with Magmortar is finished, your fate will be decided."

"He doesn't work for you?" Mienshao asked, looking into Null's eyes.

"Not like one of my soldiers, no. He's from a different organization; and we've cut a deal; I work on some R&D for his group, and he'll provide me with 'clean-up' service."

Salandit looked as if she was visibly sickened when Null said that word. Bunnelby suddenly understood what Null meant by clean-up; recalling the voice he heard in the ruins. He felt his stomach churn.

"Now then, hand over that Gadget of yours. I need to make a phone call." said Null.

—-

The cell was freezing cold, exposed to all of the worst aspects of the night. Bunnelby was due to start work in the morning; until then, he was left in the hanging cage as punishment for trying to leak all of Null's information. He shivered as he slept; already looking visibly thinner just from the freezing winds.

Salandit wasn't going to have it. She knew what she had done; and she didn't really regret selling out three Pokemon to save ten times more. However, she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if the three of them lived out the rest of their days in Null's forsaken factory.

Without a moment to spare, Salandit scurried out of her hiding spot and began to ascend the side of Null's fortress. She had entered Null's quarters through a hole in the roof; small enough to avoid Null's gaze, but large enough for her to squeeze through. She quietly poked her head through first; scanning the room. Null wasn't present; he was likely chewing out the guards for their poor job.

She pushed herself through the hole and quickly got to work; first darting for Null's desk and snatching Bunnelby's Expedition Gadget, and then quickly setting it to re upload the files. There were scratch marks on the screen; likely from Null clawing at the device in frustration whilst trying to work out how to delete the recordings. The fact he hadn't succeeded made Salandit chuckle inside.

Suddenly, Salandit heard the door creak. She did some quick thinking and darted beneath Null's straw pile; setting Bunnelby's gadget to record everything.

"So, you haven't made any progress." said someone other than Null. Salandit swore she could recognize the voice from somewhere.

"I told you, without access to Black Diamond, it's impossible to make a Z-Power Ring." grumbled Null. "For now, we can only make Z-Rings."

"And I told you that Z-Ring's won't cut it." said the other voice. "Regardless, we have other plans in place; should be able to snatch up a Z-Power Ring soon. What about the Z-Crystals?"

"You'll be pleased to know that we've excavated two of them; Firium Z and Groundium Z." said Null. "They're waiting for you on the factory floor; alongside the Z-Ring."

"Well, at least something good's come out of this arrangement…" Grumbled the other voice. "Though, I suppose clean-up was fun…"

Salandit had to restrain herself from growling. The door shut.

"What a pain…" mumbled Null, moving closer to the hay pile. "Anything to get this darn…"

Null paused. Salandit sat deadly still; like a corpse.

"…There's a hole in the roof." commented Null, sounding worried. "That's how that Salandit got in..!"

Salandit heard Null race out of the room. Taking her chances, she bolted; slithering through the door and out into the hall. She tossed the Expedition Gadget over the railing; it had to have been pretty tough to survive one of Null's tantrums; before racing back into the room and squeezing back through the hole in the ceiling.

She quickly slid down the side of the building and jumped off the wall early to fall faster. She landed on all fours; but her limbs stung from the impact. She stood there, wincing for a moment, before gathering herself and racing ahead.

—-

Mienshao slaved away on the factory floor, hammering away at some incredibly hard stones according to the instructions given to him by Null. He had no idea what he was producing; but frankly, he didn't care. His mind was focused elsewhere; namely, on whether to admonish or respect Salandit's betrayal. On one hand, she had sold him into slavery. However, she had done it to save several people important to her. He glanced across the room to see Staravia dozing off.

"Oi! Keep at it, bird!" Growled a Houndoom guard, before firing a small ember at Staravia. The weak attack was enough to put a jolt of energy into her. She squawked and got back to work.

"You!" yelled another voice. Mienshao turned his head to see Magmortar descending the stairs; glaring at the Houndoom.

"Workers don't work hard when they're tired, let alone on fire!" Magmortar growled. "If they need to rest, let them rest!"

"What do you know, clown?" grumbled Houndoom back at Magmortar. "I don't trust you, and as it stands, you aren't the one supposed to boss me around."

"What, do you want to find out?" chuckled Magmortar, his eyes burning with a fiery passion. "Let's take this outside."

Magmortar and Houndoom walked out of the building; before several yelps and shouts echoed from the distance. Mienshao picked up his ball and slowly lumbered over to Staravia.

"How are you feeling, Staravia?" asked Mienshao, kneeling to check and see if she was alright. "I can take up your job here, if you'd like."

"Always so darn polite, aren't you…" grumbled Staravia, before hopping onto the workbench and pointing towards something atop it. Mienshao looked at it; it was a small wooden box. He slowly walked over and opened it. Within it was a white armband, and two small gemstones; one a flaming hot red, the other a dull, earthy brown. Suddenly, Mienshao heard the sound of metal smacking against a surface; and whirled around to see the Expedition Gadget on the ground behind him. He eased his way over and picked it up, and was surprised to see that besides a few scratch marks on the glass, the device was unharmed. He wondered where the gadget had fallen from; until he saw Salandit creeping through the front door.

"How do we free Bunnelby?" she asked, looking back and forth between the other Pokemon. "Wait; come here; I'll melt through those chains."

"Why should we trust you?" growled Staravia, expanding her body to make her seem tougher. Mienshao nodded and advanced forward; prompting Staravia to turn to him and squawk in shock. Regardless, Salandit kept to her word; superheating the chain binding Mienshao to the iron ball and releasing him. Staravia growled in frustration, before advancing forward and doing the same.

"As for your first question; I suspect that we'll have to find a key to his cell." said Mienshao, already formulating a plan. He quickly swiped the box, before picking up the gadget and checking the upload; at was close to finishing; but they still had some time left to go.

"What's in the box?" asked Salandit, confused. Mienshao turned to her and let out a coy smirk.

"Oh, something delightful." he said, before turning towards the stairs.

"You'll have to find your way to the third floor; I suspect the keys are held there." said Mienshao. "Perhaps Staravia can fly you up?"

"Oh no. I'm not… fine." Staravia moaned, before gripping Salandit in her talons and shooting into the air. Mienshao turned to face the door; and his expression hardened when he saw Magmortar walking back inside.

"What's this…?" said Magmortar, raising an eyebrow. "Your chain… Staravia… that Gadget…"

Magmortar didn't waste time afterwards. He powered up his cannons and fired a scorching-hot flamethrower at Mienshao; who quickly leaped out of the way. Mienshao smirked. He knew that he stood no chance against Null; but this goon? They had to be on par with each other.

Magmortar growled and charged towards Mienshao, his head lowered. Mienshao front flipped over Magmortar and whipped at his back; not using a Pokemon move until he was sure of his opponent's strength. Sure enough, the attack was only enough to scratch Magmortar, who turned around in response.

"Is that your best?" he chuckled, lining up another shot and unleashing a burst of flames from his arm-cannon. Mienshao barely avoided the attack; and felt the heat of the attack brush against his face. Sweating, Mienshao darted away from Magmortar, and considered a plan of attack.

"(He may not be a fast mover, but he can cover nearly every angle of attack I try with his flamethrowers…)" thought Mienshao. "(Maybe if…)"

Mienshao darted behind a pillar, getting cover from Magmortar's attacks. He planned to lure in the enemy, and then strike whilst his guard was down. Magmortar was not dumb however; and had other ideas. He held both if his arm cannons up; and began to gather all of his energy. Mienshao realized what Magmortar was up to; and quickly dove out of his cover.

"HYPER BEAM!" Magmortar roared; firing the collosal wave-motion blast. The laser shredded through the pillar; and the wall behind it as well, leaving behind nothing but slag metal. Magmortar coughed; having exhausted himself after firing such a potent attack. Knowing this, Mienshao moved in for a deadly blow. His sights set on Magmortar, Mienshao leaped several meters into the air, and extended his left knee; using a risky but powerful High Jump Kick attack.

Magmortar was barely able to move out of the way in time; rolling forward in an ungraceful but pragmatic manner. Mienshao slammed his knee into the metal flooring below; and screamed in pain as he felt his knee crack open. Magmortar winced; before smirking.

"Now, are you done throwing a temper tantrum?" he asked, walking forward. "Let's get those chains back on you…"

Mienshao snarled and forced himself to dart away from Magmortar. He yelled out in agony as he put pressure on his left leg. He felt his eyes water, but forced himself to move nonetheless; bee-lining for the door. Magmortar grumbled; and aimed one of his arm cannons at Mienshao; before firing a Thunderbolt from it at Mienshao's other leg. Mienshao gagged; falling forward as his right leg went numb. Paralysed, he remained motionless on the floor. He wanted to scream; but the wind had been knocked out of his lungs.

"You aren't going anywhere, boy…" Magmortar grumbled, advancing forward. Suddenly, he felt something slam into his back with incredible force; cracking his spine. He fell forward and rolled onto his behind; looking up and spotting Staravia above him; bruised but still able to fight after using her Brave Bird attack. He chuckled; and took aim with his arm cannon to fire another Thunderbolt; but winced in pain and discomfort as a pile of sand was thrown into his eyes. He fired the Thunderbolt anyway; but missed completely; and gagged as Staravia slammed into his stomach. He reached out to try and grab the flying type; but she quickly evaded his grasp. Groaning in pain, Magmortar rolled onto his front and pushed himself up; and barely managed to dodge another Brave Bird attack.

"Disappear! ALL OF YOU!" Magmortar bellowed as his body glowed red. He thrust his arms out; and unleashed a Heat Wave in all directions; throwing his assailants away. Staravia squawked in pain; weakened after using her Brave Bird attacks. She fell to the ground; knocked out; unable to resist the attack after the damage she had inflicted on herself. Salandit was in a better condition; still hurt, but able to move and fight. Magmortar snarled, and began to advance toward Staravia, a burning intent in his eyes.

"What's the point in fighting it?" Magmortar snarled. "The world's gonna end soon, kid… might as well embraced it."

Salandit screamed; and fired a Dragon Rage at Magmortar; striking him on the shoulder. The attack did nothing to him; he simply continued his approach; ignoring the Toxic Lizard pokemon. Silent, he held one arm cannon up towards Staravia, and prepare a Flamethrower.

"You're lucky." he said. "You get to go to heaven early."

He fired; only to have his attack absorbed in its entirety by Heatmor.

"Why don't you just shout your mouth?" Heatmor growled, before chopping at Magmortar's neck. Magmortar gagged; his windpipe in agony from the force of the attack. Salandit shouted out Heatmor's name in shock.

"Save it for later, miss." Heatmor chuckled, before stomping on the ground and throwing a bundle of small boulders at Magmortar; striking him super effectively and restricting his movement. Magmortar tried to scream; but his windpipe was effectively destroyed. Regardless; he gathered all of his strength; and attempted to fire another Hyper Beam.

"Not a chance!" Shouted Salandit; seizing the opportunity to use another Sand Attack; kicking up dirt into Magmortar's face. Wincing; Magmortar fired his Hyper Beam; only to completely miss his intended target. Only succeeding to exhaust himself; Magmortar fell to his knee's; and looked up at the encroaching Heatmor.

"The light will end…" Magmortar managed to groan; his voice horse.

"Stop spouting nonsense." Heatmor grumbled, before cloaking his fist in lightning. Without a moment to spare, he knocked out Magmortar with a Thunder Punch. For a brief moment; there was total silence; before Heatmor turned to Staravia and pressed a Reviver Seed against her skin. Revitalized, she quickly rose to her feet.

"Heatmor!?" She squawked in surprise. Heatmor pressed her beak shut, silencing her.

"Keep quiet! The guards will be on us any minute!" grumbled Heatmor. "So get the key and get Bunnelby out, got it?"

Staravia nodded, before smirking as she pulled out the Key from the ruffles of her feathers. She leaped into the air; ascending up the side of Null's fortress until she reached Bunnelby's cage. She pecked away at the bars; trying to awaken him; whilst Heatmor walked over to Mienshao and slung his paralysed body over his shoulder.

"So, why'd you decide to show up?" asked Salandit, glancing around to check and see if the coast was clear.

"I did some thinking; figured that you'd end up getting yourselves killed." replied Heatmor, looking up at the cage. "I didn't want to go the rest of my life knowing I could have done something to stop that."

"So, what was with all the doom and gloom?" asked Salandit.

"Don't get me wrong; bad things happen, and we can't do much to stop them." said Heatmor. "But I realized we can make them hurt less."

Bunnelby's eyes slowly cracked open; the sound of Staravia's beak smashing against the metal ringing in his ears.

"Eh?" Bunnelby mumbled. "Staravia, what are you… what's-"

"We're getting out of here; come on!" Staravia squawked, slamming the key into the lock and unlocking the door to Bunnelby's cage. Still drowsy, Bunnelby stumbled ahead; before Staravia grappled him with her talons and flew him down to the others.

"Alright, what's our escape plan?" Salandit asked; before Staravia flashed a smirk.

"Check out what I found…" She said, pulling out their bag. Sure enough, everything they had brought with them was still there; the wand, seed, and Escape Orb.

"Bingo!" said Salandit; reaching out to grab the orb. Suddenly, a burst of energy shot at them; knocking the bag out of Staravia's talons. The group turned to face the source of the attack; it was Null.

"Why must I do EVERYTHING myself!?" Null roared, absolutely livid. "I'll see to it that you all disappear!"

Null dashed forward; his eyes burning with a killing intent. Immediately, he targeted what he felt to be the biggest threat in the room; the Mienshao resting on Heatmor's shoulder. Heatmor tossed his luggage away; and fired a Flamethrower to try and deter Null. The attack didn't even bother Null in the slightest; he simply dashed through it and rammed into Heatmor's belly with a Double Edge attack; throwing his target back against the wall. Staravia burst into action; charging at Null with a Brave Bird attack; only to miss completely as Null avoided the attack with ease. She quickly did a loop in the air; and shot towards her enemy with greater force; but Staravia was struck down by a volley of Air Slashes launched from Null's claw. She laid down on the ground, groaning in pain.

"I would say I expected better, but…" Null chuckled, turning his attention to Salandit and Bunnelby; his glare piercing them like a blade. "Too be honest, that worthless toady could hit harder than any of you."

Bunnelby took a deep breath, gathering himself; and trying to keep calm and make a plan. The escape orb had rolled about 10 meters behind them; and as long as the rest of his teammates were relatively close, he'd be able to teleport them all out. Null quickly glanced behind Bunnelby to see the orb; before leaping over the duo to block their way; before slowly creeping forward. Salandit felt as if she was going to break under all of the pressure.

"You don't scare me…" Salandit mumbled, trying to reassure herself. Null tilted his head, perplexed.

"Are you sure..?" Null mumbled. "Ever since that embarrassing defeat at the hands of that toad, I've been meditating, planning… The way you move, your body language; it's just like his… hollow, and afraid… like his… Which is why you'll have to be the first to go."

Null lunged forward; before noticing something in the corner of his eye; Heatmor had gotten to his feet and was grabbing something out of his bag. Null wasn't having it; he shoved past the small fries and charged at Heatmor; roaring voraciously. This was all according to Heatmor's plan; at the last moment, he pulled out a Pounce Wand and swung it at the ground next to Mienshao; traveling there nigh-instantaneously; whilst Null's helm slammed into the wall. Bunnelby could feel the whole fortress shake.

Heatmor, in the little time he had bought, pulled another item out of his bag; a heal seed; and crushed it against Mienshao's skin; curing him of Paralysis. Immediately, he sprung into action; jumping to his feet; only to wince and stumbled when he stood on his broken knee. Heatmor helped him balance himself; and they both turned to face Null; who had just managed to remove his head from the steel, leaving large dent.

"Not bad, old man…" Null mumbled; glaring down Heatmor. "Well, I'm older than any of you, but well, when you can live forever, you don't really grow old."

"Cut the small talk." Said Heatmor; before he stomped his foot; hurling a volley of boulders towards Null; trying to slow him down with a Rock Tomb attack. Null managed to avoid getting hit; but the boulders nonetheless restricted his movement. He wasn't going to let that stop him however; and he began to tear apart the stones using deadly Crush Claw attacks; breaking them apart one by one.

"USELESS!" Null roared; finally smashing apart the last boulder blocking his way to his opponents; only to find Mienshao missing. He cared not; he figured that Heatmor was the more dangerous opponent.

Until Mienshao's airborne knee slammed into his helmet from above; as Mienshao bellowed a powerful "HIGH. JUMP. KICK!"

Null screamed; retreating back after taking such a painful, super-effective attack. He could feel the damage through his helmet; it was as if it was a part of his body. Null clawed at the spot where Mienshao's good knee had collided with him; and for the first time in his life; he felt a slight dent in his mask.

A slight dent in his mask.

Behind his helmet, Null cracked a devious grin.

"More…" Null groaned, feeling his adrenaline skyrocket. The pain was immense… but the payoff… "DO THAT AGAIN!"

Null charged forward; throwing caution to the wind as he slammed into Heatmor with another Double Edge attack; hurling him several meters away. Mienshao flanked Null in response; choosing to strike his rips not with another risky High Jump Kick; but instead with a Drain Punch. His right whip glowed green as he lashed at Null's side; wrapping it around him and draining the strength from his opponent to recover. Null winced; this pain wasn't the beneficial kind. He squirmed; and managed to break free from Mienshao's grasp; but not before Mienshao had managed to recover every bit of damage he had sustained earlier.

"NOT THAT ATTACK; THE GOOD ONE!" Null screamed; flexing his claws before charging at Mienshao; preparing another Crush Claw attack. Mienshao's gaze hardened; and he studied all of Null's movements in an instant.

"Me First." said Mienshao, before dashing forward and gripping Null's helm; using a copied Crush Claw attack where he had dented it previously. Null winced; the pain was extreme; but knew he had to endure it. Null pulled away; scratching away at his helm to check the damage. It wasn't enough.

"My old man taught me that one…" Mienshao quipped, assuming another prepared stance, taking deep breaths. Null waved his claw through the air to fire an Air Slash at Mienshao, but he reacted to this on instinct; dodging the attack with barely a millimetre of room to spare.

"I'll show you his other move as well; his favourite!" Yelled Mienshao; before swinging both of his arms to his left hip; and gathering his focus. He detected the inherit signature of everything around him; the malicious auras of the guards outside; Bunnelby and Salandit's heroic auras… but he wasn't able to see Null's at all.

"…Aura Sphere?" Null asked, smirking behind his mask. "I'm afraid that won't work on me… Use a good move instead."

Null raced ahead; slamming into Mienshao will his absolute full force whilst he was distracted. Mienshao was sent hurtling back from the attack; but managed to retain his foot; albeit suffering some major bruising and a broken rib. He tried to take some deep breaths; but began to cough uncontrollably; and fell to one knee.

"You can dish out tough hits…" Mumbled Null, advancing forward to finish Mienshao. "But you can't take them at all, can you?"

Null stood in front of Mienshao, towering above him. Slowly, he raised one claw; flexing it in and out as he prepared a final Crush Claw.

"Sand Attack!" Salandit yelled; kicking up dirt into the eye-sockets in Null's mask. Null winced; and missed his finishing blow in its entirety. He whirled around to see where Salandit had attacked him; only for the still-capable Heatmor to deliver a potent Thunder Punch to his rib-cage. Null leaped away from his attackers; the Thunder Punch hadn't hurt that much; but he wanted to put a safe distance between them. Mienshao turned to look at Bunnelby; who had run in; carrying the Escape Orb. Null immediately saw this; and began to charge a Tri-Attack; a fireball, lightning orb, and sharp icicle manifesting in front of him. Null fired the triage of projectiles; only for Heatmor to leap in the way of the attack and take it head on. He was knocked out on impact.

"Heatmor!" shouted Bunnelby, anguish present in his voice. He turned to glare at Null; who was once again aiming a Tri-Attack at his Escape Orb. He flared his nostrils, and tossed the Escape Orb behind him. Mienshao's eyes widened; and quickly began to hatch up a plan.

"I'm done sitting around!" Bunnelby yelled, charging ahead. Null stood idly by; not bothering to defend himself. That was a major mistake; Bunnelby's jaw opened wide; and he bit down hard on Null's left leg with an incredibly strong Super Fang; shredding right through his enemies defenses. Null screeched; and desperately tried to shake Bunnelby off; lest he actually remove his limb. Whilst this was occurring, Mienshao motioned for Salandit to approach.

"Salandit, quick, put this on…" Mienshao whispered, handing her the white band. He wondered if the legends were true…

"I'm not certain, but I think this is a Z-Power Ring… an artifact capable of enhancing the moves of another pokemon." Mienshao continued. Salandit strapped the ring to her wrist; and Mienshao slotted the Groundium Z into its place. The Ring resized to fit her.

"When you're ready, tap the gemstone." Mienshao mumbled. "We'll see if this thing works.

"Mienshao, I don't-" Salandit began to say, concerned the Z-Ring may not work. However, she paused when she saw Null hurl Bunnelby across the room; straight into the wall. Bunnelby slid down the stone wall a little; before falling to the floor limp. He attempted to push himself up; and managed to get to his feet; despite the pain. Null quickly managed to approach Bunnelby, towering over him. Salandit didn't want to waste any time; without a second thought, she tapped the Groundium Z, before doing a twirl and slamming her open palm on the floor. Ribbons of light burst forth from her body; and she felt herself feel faint as they surrounded Bunnelby; giving him a golden aura.

"Wait… NO!" Null roared, but it was too late.

"Bunnelby, now! DIG!" Mienshao screamed.

Bunnelby slammed his left foot on the ground; causing the hard metal floor beneath them to split forth like it was brittle pumice. A large hole opened beneath Null; and he plummeted down; but Bunnelby wasn't done with him yet; leaping in after him and slamming his foe with all of his might; travelleling through the earth with an incredible velocity. Bunnelby knew where they were going; and sure enough; they quickly broke through to a pocket of molten magma; which quickly began to burst out of his tunnel. Without a second to waste, Bunnelby turned 180 degrees and traveled out of the cavern as quick as he dug it; returning to the surface just as a magnificent pillar of lava exploded forth. Mienshao barely managed to force himself to his knees; grabbing Staravia and running for safety. Bunnelby and Salandit also evacuated; leaving behind Heatmor. Seeing as he had Flash Fire for an ability, Bunnelby wasn't extremely concerned about the scorching hot lava that had engulfed Heatmor.

Having gotten a safe distance away from the fortress, the group turned to look back at the collapsing castle. Screams of terror and anguish erupted forth; with Null's goons tearing through the walls to escape the falling tower. Bunnelby waited for a good few moments, before realizing that they were in immense danger. He was torn between saving them, or leaving them to burn.

Swallowing his pride, Bunnelby charged forth to try and rescue those caught in the blaze. Whilst many were fire and ground types, they all struggled to escape the flowing lava; and were being buried beneath the rock as it hardened. Bunnelby, putting his life on the line, charged ahead, tunneling through the scorching hot rock and rescuing those buried beneath it. He felt like his body was burning up; and after rescuing only a few goons, he began to lose consciousness. Suddenly, he felt something wrap around him and drag him away; it was Salandit, who was more comfortable with the heat than he was. She managed to bring him to safety; before racing out to try and aide the others as well. Mienshao wished he could help; but his wounds were too grievous; he could barely even stand.

Salandit looked around at what remained of the camp. It was gone; all of it. Charred canvas was lifted into the air as she raced about, trying to find survivors. Dust filled the air, blocking out the moonlight. The air burned hot; and the ground beneath her hotter. She listened out for cries; only to hear the ground beneath her begin to rumble. She was thrown several meters away; the sheer force of Null breaking through the molten rock enough to seriously damage her.

"The Z-Ring…" Null mumbled, surprisingly melancholy. "It lacked the power… the purity to defeat me."

Bunnelby, witnessing this from a distance, raced ahead; leaping atop the burning hot coals, desperate to rescue Salandit. Seeing this, Null's goons began to cry out to him.

"Boss, stop!" They shouted in unison. Null didn't even bother to divert his gaze; simply waving his claw in their direction to fire an Air Slash as a warning shot.

"Don't interfere." Null bellowed,

Bunnelby rolled out the way and kept racing ahead. Meanwhile, Null slowly crept forth.

"Why..?" Null mumbled, gazing down at Salandit. "What makes a child like you have the courage to oppose me?"

"Because…" Salandit began, gathering the strength to speak. "Because villains like you can't be allowed to steal and harm those weaker than yourself."

"…Why would I?" Null asked, gazing into Salandit's eyes with a piercing stare. "I had everything in the world, fame and fortune; but I lost it all when I refused to keep acting as my old man's toady… and got this freakish mask in exchange. I lost everything for refusing to harm those weaker than myself… and I'll stand by that."

Null turned to look at Bunnelby, his eyes hollow and lifeless.

"How old are you, I wonder?" Null asked, slowly creeping forward. The coals were cooling fast, and Bunnelby could stand on them now. That didn't mean that he wasn't sweating though; albeit, for different reasons.

"Old enough." Bunnelby replied, assuming a combat-ready stance.

"Excellent." Said Null, his voice dripping with a bitter, venomous tone. "Then yon, that bird, Mienshao, and the Durant-eater shall perish."

Null wasted no time; charging forward with his claw extended; preparing for a Crush Claw potent enough to knock out Bunnelby in a single blow. Bunnelby saw this coming, and quickly tunneled into the ground below. The air around him was extremely hot; he quickly felt himself grow faint from the sheer heat. Without wasting another second, he emerged from behind Null and lined up an attack whilst his enemies guard was down. He clenched down both of his ears, and unleashed a potent 1-2 Double Slap on Null's hind legs. Null winced slightly; he was sore from the Tectonic Rage attack he had taken earlier. Null quickly whirled around; and swung his claw forward to counterattack; slamming Bunnelby against the hard, hot ground.

"Ugh!" Bunnelby gasped as the air flew out of his lungs. He wheezed heavily, desperately trying to catch his breath; but Null wasn't going to let him wait. He raised his claw once again; preparing to strike down Bunnelby once and for all.

"Stop!" Salandit screamed, charging forward and spitting a Toxic ball of sludge at Null. It hit him squarely in the ribs; and quickly seeped into his skin. Null began to cough uncontrollably; the inside of his helmet quickly filling up with mucus and saliva. This didn't bother him at all; after hundreds of years of wearing the helmet he had completely lost his sense of smell. Regardless, he was well aware of the fact that he had just been badly poisoned; and thus was in desperate need of medical attention.

It could wait.

"I let you live, and you do this to me!?" Null roared, turning around and wrapping his claws around Salandit's body. Enraged, he hurled her into the floor with incredible force, causing the warm rock to crack beneath her. She was knocked out in an instant. Bunnelby got to his feet; and snarled at Null, before leaping forward, getting between him and Salandit. He just had to stall for enough time…

"Why, Null!?" Bunnelby asked, trying to lead Null into a tangent. "Why do you do these things? Commit these crimes?"

"Because I feel like it." Null grumbled, shoving Bunnelby aside. Bunnelby quickly burrowed into the ground, before tunneling up from beneath Null in an attempt to strike his underside. Null quickly jumped backwards.

"But yet, you let Salandit live!" Bunnelby shouted, trying to be as convicted as possible. "What's with the double standard?"

"She's a child!" Null shouted, charging at Bunnelby. Bunnelby took a deep breath and held his ears forward; catching Null head on. The poison was starting to take effect; Null was definitely weakened.

"So that's where you draw the line, huh?" Bunnelby asked, barely managing to shove Null away. He was beginning to get a little tired out himself; but he tried to keep it together.

"I've always drawn the line there." Null grumbled, before swinging his claw towards Bunnelby; with his digits spread wide open, pinning Bunnelby to the ground. "You want to know how I got this mask?"

"Oh, cry me a river!" Bunnelby shouted, trying to push Null off him. He wasn't successful.

"About 777 years ago, I was brought to life by Arceus with a simple task; lay waste to the Ultra Beasts that were attacking our world." Began Null, increasing the level of force he was applying. Bunnelby smirked; his plan to distract him was working.

"I listened; and obeyed. And I slaughtered them all like the pokemon you'd find in a Mystery Dungeon." Null continued. "Until I came to one cowering beneath a tiny sapling; holding up nothing more than a leaf to defend itself."

"And you took pity on it." said Bunnelby; trying to goad Null into continuing his rant. He only had to stall for a little longer…

"I reflected, and then turned around to witness the destruction I had caused. It was like a graveyard; the bodies of hundreds of Ultra Beasts, just as intelligent as us, strewn about." said Null, his focus beginning to wain. "I swore off my so called 'divine purpose', and took up a new goal; helping those that cannot help themselves. I pleaded with Arceus to let the Ultra Beasts surrender; but they refused. And when I refused to fight, he gave me this mask."

Null felt his head go light; if only for a moment; and Bunnelby managed to push the claw that had him pinned off him. He then charged forward; attacking Null with another Double-Slap; sending him backward. Null regained his focus; and began to flex his muscles; trying to expel the poison from his body.

"For 776 years, I've wandered this planet, trying to gather an army; all for one purpose; wiping out the pantheon that stomps on Pokemon beneath them!" Null roared, before lowering his head and attempting to slam into Bunnelby with another Double Edge. Bunnelby realized he was stood between Null and Salandit; and lowered his ears in an attempt to block another attack. Null charged forward; colliding with Bunnelby's grasp; and shoving him back several feet. Salandit took a deep breath; and braced herself; grasping Bunnelby's back as they slammed into her. She mustered up all the strength she could; and together, they managed to shove Null away. Bunnelby leaned forward; exhausted from the effort.

"And now, this ends!" Null screamed; quickly gathering his focus and charging a Tri-Attack aimed at the tired duo.

"Time's up." chuckled Bunnelby.

Suddenly, the ground exploded open behind Salandit; out emerging Heatmor, clutching the Escape Orb in his hand. Null gasped; and fired off the Tri-Attack in desperation; but he missed Heatmor by mere millimetres. Heatmor let off a faint smirk before tightening his grip on the orb; causing it to glow a brilliant shade of white. Pillars of soothing energy flew down from the night sky above; and in an instant, Heatmor, Mienshao, Staravia, Bunnelby, and Salandit all disappeared.

Null stood there; motionless. He had been played like a drum. He dragged his claw against the ground in frustration; growling under his breath. He felt his muscles go weak; the poison was worsening. He glanced behind him; looking at his companions.

"A Pecha Berry." Null coughed; his voice guttural and deep; and yet, filled with regret. "Just get me a Pecha Berry."

—-

Bunnelby collapsed from exhaustion; lurching forward and falling flat onto his face. Salandit attempted to shake him awake; but to no avail; he was out cold. The rest of the team wasn't fairing much better; Mienshao could barely walk; Staravia was comatose; and although Heatmor could stand, he couldn't carry the entire squad in his arms. The escape orb had managed to carry them back to where they had taken shelter earlier; where Bunnelby had began his tunnel. The aftermath of Bunnelby's Tectonic Rage would likely keep their cave hidden; but Salandit was worried that Null would start sending out search party's.

"We have to keep moving…" Salandit mumbled as she poked at Bunnelby; not feeling all that well herself. "Bunnelby, please…"

"It's no use kid. All we can do is take a rest here and pray that we can make it back before we starve." said Heatmor, sitting down. He managed to gather enough strength to breath a small burst of flaming mucus; which stuck to the ground and continued to burn. Salandit gazed into the fire; reflecting on what had happened.

"Thanks for coming back." mumbled Salandit; feeling a little glum. She was unsure if she was able to upload everything in time. "If you hadn't shown up…"

"I was afraid." mumbled Heatran, lowering his head in shame. "I was a coward; afraid of Null. But I couldn't stand by and let him hurt any more Pokemon; not after I had a good look at what he did to Sahra town."

"Mmhm. And you mustered up the courage to fight." said Salandit; before cracking a weak smile.

"Not as much courage as Bunnelby, however." said Null, turning to look at the resting former expedition-society member. "To stare down Null… and taunt him in the face… what an absolute madman."

"We all showed immense courage today." said Mienshao, limping forward before kneeling down; yawning. "Especially you, Salandit. Had you not used those Sand Attacks and Toxic's, we would have all been killed."

Salandit shrugged, trying to deflect the praise. She still felt bad about betraying her teammates; even if she had done it to free Null's slaves. That being said, she did feel a little proud.

"I just hope we managed to upload the plans." said Salandit, glancing upward towards the starlit night sky.

—-

Dedenne raced around, trying to make herself look presentable. She had an interview for a new job soon; a secretarial role in an expanding Mist Continent business; the Elite Boutique. She raced around in search of her notes and resume; and to stumble upon her Expedition Gadget. She initially brushed it to the side; but a moment later, the device rumbled; indicating she had a notification. Curious, she picked up the tablet; and turned it on.

Not a moment too soon, she quickly began to broadcast messages to every single member of the Expedition Society.


End file.
